Game On
by PpptMstr
Summary: For the third time this month Dumbledore stood at the head of a destroyed great hall. Craters in the walls, tables broken, food everywhere, students in the infirmary, teachers demanding vacations, elves sacred to leave the kitchens. It was absolute chaos! And to think, this all started because of a few games. *All manners of danger and mischief ensue! COMPLETE
1. Let the Games Begin

**Authors notes**

**Everything belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling (Thank you Ma'am).**

**This is a post-Battle of Hogwarts, eighth year story. Dumbledore and Snape are still alive, but everyone else we all love, who died at the battle will remain dead for the purpose of this story. **

* * *

**Let the Games Begin**

For the third time this month Dumbledore stood at the head of a destroyed great hall. Craters in the walls, tables broken, food everywhere, students in the infirmary, teachers demanding vacations, elves sacred to leave the kitchens. It was absolute chaos!

And to think, it all started with a few games.

It was only supposed to be a few games.

~~Three weeks earlier~~

Hermione POV

Oh, I hate being late. I hate I hate I hate it! Rushing into class a few minutes late I look up at McGonagall's stern grimace.

"I'm sorry Min- Professor." I say stumbling into my seat, but not before I see her repress a slight grin.

"Well, now that everyone is here" she says with a quick glare in my direction. "I'm sure your all wondering why you were asked to come here a few days early this year."

After the war, no one was really sure if Hogwarts could even be rebuilt, but surprisingly it didn't take more than a month and a half, at which point all students were told they would be repeating the past year. The seventh years, now eighth, were told to come in the Friday before school started to "settle in".

"The staff and I understand that you are all of age, and so you will be given certain freedoms," at this everyone started whispering excitedly to each other. "However, there will also be expectations for you to meet." McGonagall said. "Firstly, you will be permitted to go to Hogsmeade to your liking, and will be able to apparate to and from there as needed. However, missing class will result in a detention." She gave a small glare to all the students to make sure everyone was paying attention.

"Secondly, because we have an extra year full of student at Hogwarts this year, you will not be living in your usual dormitories. In the left wing of the school you will notice there are four floors, will smaller dormitories on each side of the hall. We decided to give these rooms to you, as they are more luxurious." At this everyone started to get fired up again.

"Settle down, settle down. These dormitories are not going to be separated by house year, and we have already decided who will be rooming with who to promote house unity." At this people started looking around the room nervously.

With just a quick look around it was clear that none of us we really up for "house unity". We had all grouped together with maybe a few outliers here and there. Mainly the Patil twins were sitting as bridges between the Lions and the Eagles, and Luna was sitting in Neville's lap, while Cho basically hid from her house in Hufelpuff.

And then there were the slytherines. All had been cleared from trial, because the law protected them as students. Many people had been angry, but considering the number of death eaters who were still running about, no one was overly concerned with a bunch of kids who didn't even fight.

Well that's not true. Some did fight to protect the school, namely Blaize, Pansy, the Greengrass sisters, and Malfoy.

Most had stayed out of sight, and helped with the healing when the war was over. Some people think they were just waiting to see who'd win before they choose a side, but I don't think that's it. If it had been that they would have gone over to His side when Harry appeared dead. I think they just didn't want to risk going out there and fighting their own parents.

But after the war was over and the school fixed, everyone just sort of left. We all needed time to heal.

Ron would be up then down, and up then down. After the last funeral he started to turn it around, and move on. Harry and me kind of started to 'lag behind' in the healing process, which eventually lead to Ron and I's break.

_June _

"_Ron, I'm sorry." I said for the fifteenth time that day._

"_Don't be sorry Hermione, I just want to know what's wrong."_

_It was our third date, and I just couldn't seem to get into the mood. We had decided to go to a muggle movie, and half way through I just started crying. Crying! For no reason, but I couldn't stop myself. I was so embarrassed that I apparated home._

"_Look, Ron. I'm not in a place to date, or really do much. I just need some time to myself. I think I'm going to do some travelling. But I want you to keep dating."_

"_That's ridiculous 'Mione. I love you. I'd wait an eternity for you."_

"_That just it. It will be an eternity, cause I don't think I'm the girl I've always been. When we kissed before the battle it was nice. But that was it. Nice. I may not see you as a brother, but I don't see you as a lover. And you deserve better."_

When I got back from my extended vacation, Ron had gotten over it. He was dating around, and I don't tend to bother learning their names unless they've lasted a week.

Harry, like me, had taken a bit longer to get back on the horse. He spent a lot of time wishing it had been him to die. He missed his family. He couldn't look at anyone without feeling guilty. He spent a lot of time in bars, and I spent a lot of time worried about him, until Andromeda stepped in. She said she had found harry drunk in a ditch, and had beat him silly when he woke up. About how if he couldn't do anything for himself, then he'd have to do it for Teddy.

I could see the difference. He got up every day, showered and shaved. And then one morning when he came down for breakfast it wasn't a routine anymore. And he slowly started to seem human again.

And that left me. I was a wreck at night. I had to sleep with the curtains shut tight around me, charmed not to let any sound out. Every time there was a sound I'd grab my wand with a curse on my lips. I couldn't eat a decent meal, I'd get full after a few bits, and then I'd be hungry again in a few hours.

And people kept telling me to _move on_, that everything was _okay._ And so I left. No communication, or at least I tried not to get any communication. But some people couldn't help sending owls…

Shaking my head to clear it of thoughts from summer I notice McGonagall is talking again. "So each of the dorms will have approximately ten student, some may have more from one house then the other, that's okay. When I read off your name from the list, please make you way to your new dorm. There will be instructions left on the table to get settled. Okay the first room is on the top floor to the left, behind the Grace O'Malley portrait. Harry Potter," standing up he looks to Ron and I and gives us a smile.

"Draco Malfoy," Harry freezes and we all look to our right to see Malfoy standing up at which point he turns back and shrugs. "Hermione Granger," McGonagall says and Harry and Ron each squeeze one of my shoulders.

"Daphne Greengrass," me and Harry head for the back of the class.

"Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom" Malfoy opens the door and steps out.

"Pansy Parkinson, Terry Boot" me and Harry step outside, followed by the others.

"And last but not least, Ronald Weasley, and Blaise Zabini."

Quietly we all make our way towards our new room, no one really willing to speak. I mean, we all ended up fighting on the same side of the war, but it was a bumpy road getting here. And we didn't have many reasons to trust each other.

Climbing the stairs Pansy asks, "How will we know which portrait is Grace O'Malley?"

"She was a sixteenth century pirate. She's has red hair, and owns a fleet of ships, so if anything seems fitting to that theme, I'd say we have a winner."

"A pirate, eh?" Blaise says with a suggestive grin.

"Yeah a warrior-queen pirate, who had a bit of a temper." I say with a wink at the end, before turning around and laughing at the look he gave me.

Before anyone else could comment Luna bowed to a portrait up ahead and said, "Well how do you do Ma'am?"

Not really sure how she got so far ahead the rest of us catch up quickly to see her standing in front of a marvelous painting of a red headed pirate with crashing waves in the background. "Hello, is this everyone?" The lady said with a melodic voice worthy of a mermaid.

"Yep, this is everyone." Neville says from behind Luna, who was currently pressed against him, as he rested his chin on her head.

As happy as I am for them, all I can think is their one of those sickeningly sweet couples you just want to stab with a fork sometimes.

"So, what would you like your password to be?" she asked us, turning away from the now kissing couple.

Harry and Blaise both said, "Freedom" at the same time, before looking at each other and smiling.

"Excellent choice" she replied and swung open to reveal our new quarters. The room was made of soft beiges, and stunning cherry wood, with stone pillars on each half of the room. Directly in-between the two pillars is a large cherry wood table, and beyond that, there is a tunnel that I suppose leads to our new rooms. To the right there's a complete working kitchen, and to the left; a seating area with a large couch along the back wall, and a loveseat & two chairs across from it. A second couch is placed between the two with its back to us, and across from it is a bar with three stools.

"Wow," Daphne said before dropping her bag on the table and heading over to the bar. "Anyone wanna drink? Wait, what! Where are the drink, what is this tease the eighth years night?!"

Walking over to the table, I pick up the note on the table just as a large bolder crashes down over the portrait hole.

"What the fuck?!" Malfoy shouts

"What did you do!" Pansy and Neville say in unison.

"No, no guys it's alright." Daphne weighed in from across the room. "She made the drinks appear!"

"Oh well as long as we got _that_" I say sarcastically

"Exactly." She said completely seriously.

Draco laughed from his spot by the entrance, while Harry gave her an unimpressed look.

"The fuck?" I say while starring wide eyed at the letter in my hands

"Oh! Language Granger." Malfoy jokes.

"You won't be laughing in minute." I say without looking up.

"Oh no, I'm not laughing Granger. _You _swearing? Something must be wrong with the universe. Are you a clone?" he asked stepping closer.

"Hardy, har har" I say slapping his hand away as he started poking me.

"'Mione, what does the letter say?" Ron asks from behind Malfoy.

"That we're stuck here, until we play some games that Dumbledore set up."

Grabbing the letter out of my hand Malfoy grabs the letter, followed by Ron, then Harry, then Pansy who shouts out "enough! I will read it out loud."

"Dear students of the pirate queen portrait. As I'm sure you've noticed touching this parchment activated a charm that locked you all inside you common room. Fear not! The barrier will remove itself a soon as you complete the five games I've set out. Any materials needed for any of the activities will appear of their own accord. The fridge is stocked as well as the bar, and will replenish as needed. Meals will appear at suppertime should you not be done yet. For the rules of the first game simply say 'we are ready'."

Looking up from the parchment pansy asked "are we ready?"

Laughing Luna said, "No honey it's _we are _ready!"

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**Hope you all enjoyed. R&R**


	2. Game One

**Authors notes**

**Hello! To answer one of the comments about Luna and Neville. Their "lovey ****dovey" couple thing will have already settled down in this chapter. I have the first few done, and I noticed that they cooled their jets off pretty fast (I'm not a big fan of that behaviour either apparently). **

**Once again I do not own any characters or settings or really much of anything. If you recognize anything in the plots from another fanfic story, then i probably read it and it influenced my writing. If this is so, thank you very much, and please leave a comment for the credit! **

**As far as posting the chapters, I will try very hard to do so as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, life gets in the way sometimes, so I plan to have a few chapters ready in case for whatever reason I'm backed-up. **

**Anyways...Back to the games!**

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Game One:

_Hello, ladies and gentlemen._ A loud voice boomed into the room from above. _Your professor's and I thought that this would be a good exercise for you all to get more comfortable. Now, the point of these activities is to let you all understand each other a little better, so to keep you all honest please take a drink of some of the veritaserum. _A second later ten bottle of veritaserum appeared around the room. We each picked up our bottle and drank it all quickly without looking at each other._ Good. That dose should last for about four hours, if you games haven't finished by then, another set of bottles will appear._

_Before we start, I just want to say welcome back to Hogwarts, and as I'm sure you've been told, this year is all about house unity! So I hope you can all move one from the past and burry the hatchet as it were._

_Now, for the fun part! The first game is very simple, just something to get everyone comfortable. It is called never have I ever! _

_For anyone who doesn't know the rules, it's quite simply one person will say, "Never have I ever…" and finish the sentence with whatever works. For all those who have done this, they will take a drink. When the bell chimes, you have completed the game, and I will reveal the next._

_So get comfortable and let the games begin! _

"I don't know about anything else but I'm trying pretty hard not to blurt anything out." Daphne said before smacking her hands over her mouth.

"You'll only blurt anything out if you think about something too much. Like if I really want chocolate, then I'll say that. If you try to keep your mind blank then nothing should slip out." I said before I could stop myself

"Keep your mind blank. Shouldn't be too hard for Weasley." Malfoy said before slapping his hand over his mouth.

Blaise started laughing at Ron's face as it grew redder and redder with every second.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. Honest. Just a reflex I suppose." Malfoy said.

At which point Ron started to turn purple, and Harry and I burst out laughing too. Everyone was staring at us, as though they were shocked we'd laugh at our friend, but it was just too funny.

"Dear god, I have to pee." Harry said while wiping a tear from his eye.

This only made me and Blaise start laughing harder, and when we fell down everyone else in the room started chuckling too.

"I never thought I'd laugh at something _Malfoy _said, but…"

"Is this what you think of me 'Mione? Because that'd make sense wouldn't it. Why would you want to be with a big dumb moron like me, right?"

"No Ron. That's not what I think of you. How could you think that?"

"Then why did you break up with me?"

"I…" I covered my mouth to mask my response.

"What! What don't you want me to hear?"

"This is a conversation we should have in privet not with a crowd of people listening."

Before Ron could ask another question Harry jumped in saying, "Hey the sooner we get to these games, the sooner this is all over right."

From her spot on the couch pansy said, "If it helps Ron, I'm mad at her too."

"What for?" I ask

"For getting thoughts of chocolate stuck in my head. I'm really craving now."

And for the second time in ten minutes I fell into a fit of giggles. How odd, that after what feels like years of intense seriousness I finally feel free to laugh, and it's with Snakes no less.

Everyone got settled in the living area. Blaise on the couch with Draco, and Pansy. Daphne sat on the bar, while Neville and Luna sat on the Loveseat in front of her. Ron and Terry sat on the chairs across from the Snakes, while Harry and I sat on the Couch facing the bar.

When we had all taken our seats, drinks appeared in front of us. "So, who goes first?" Terry asks to my right.

Looking up from her drink pansy grins, "You."

"Okay, umm. Never have I ever… gotten so drunk I couldn't remember the night before."

To my left I heard harry grumble as he lifted the cup to his mouth. Feeling a compelled to drink as well I looked across the room to see who else had taken a drink.

Luna and Ron I knew, and I wasn't shocked to see Malfoy and Blaise drink as well, but I was mildly surprised to see Daphne didn't take a drink.

Everyone looked at Harry Ron and I with gapping gazes. "Really the Golden trio plastered at sundown?" Pansy joked with Daphne.

"Yeah, well… you'd be surprised. Okay. So I guess it's my turn." I said. "Never have I ever, been skinny dipping."

Blaise, Harry, Luna and Neville all drank to that one. After Luna and Neville took their drink they started giggling and kissing again.

"Oi, I'm trying to keep my breakfast down over here." Terry said

"Here Here!" Pansy and Daphne said in unison.

"Okay, never have I ever been accused of acting like a sickeningly sweet couple."

Neville Luna and Daphne all took a drink

"Never have I ever, fought the muggle way." Blaise said before taking a drink, along with Daphne, Terry, Harry, and I.

Giggling to himself Draco said "Sorry mate. Never have I ever worn females clothing."

Of course all the girls took a drink, but we all dropped our jaws when Blaise took a drink as well.

"What the hell Blaise?" Daphne said from the bar.

"Okay, I lost a bet that's all." He said looking at us daring us to laugh.

"What was the bet?" I ask

"I'm glade you asked. So in slytherine, we have this running pool of who can get into the pants of the hottest bird in each house. So for years the Gryffindor cup has been gaining more and more money. And last year someone tricked me into thinking the person for Hottest Gryffindor had changed, and I bet I could win it."

"Who tricked you?" I asked

"I did." Malfoy said. "I told him someone was going to go for it, and he asked if they were insane – "

"To which he replies 'nope, but we took a vote and now it's going to be too easy. I thought they had changed it to lavender or something. So I bet Malfoy I could get into her pants before anyone else did. And well, obviously I lost and I had to wear a dress to his family Christmas party."

By the end of the story, most of us were bent over trying to stop laughing. Terry looked up and shakily said, "Who was the girl?"

Grinning ear to ear, Blaise looked over at me and said "Hermione."

I started to choke on air and moved my mouth to ask a question, but it never came out.

Malfoy and Blaise started laughing at my face, until it started turning red.

"YOU BET YOU COULD GET IN MY PANTS!"

"If you really think about it, I bet I could get into lavender's pants."

"Sorry bro. That didn't work then, it won't work now." Malfoy said chuckling.

"YOU BET YOU COULD GET. IN. MY. PANTS!" I repeated.

"I feel like you've completely skipped over the whole 'hottest girl' thing, and stuck with the –"

"YOU BET YOU COULD GET IN MY PANTS!"

"Yeah that part." Blaise said with a chuckle.

Standing up Harry caught me and picked me up before I could attack Blaise. "Deep breaths Hermione." Harry said until I started to calm down. "Do you promise not to go crazy if I let you go?"

"I'd hardly call betting the shit out of him going crazy. Just venting my frustrations."

"Okay do you promise not to vent your frustrations if I let you down."

"I would, but it'd be a lie. And apparently I can't lie."

"What if he apologized?"

"FOR TRYING TO GET IN MY PANTS!"

Apparently Ron couldn't take it anymore, cause he burst into laughs and fell off his chair and started rolling around the floor laughing.

"THIS IS NOT FUNNY RONALD."

"On the contrary, it's actually quite humorous" Luna said from the love seat, which got just about everyone to start laughing.

After another twenty or so minutes of this harry got Hermione to calm down, and everyone sat back in their seats. Yet Blaise couldn't help but notice, Hermione giving him the evil eye. Deciding to pick up where they left off, Pansy spoke up before another fight broke out. "Never have I ever… had sex."

Luna, Neville, Malfoy, Blaise, Harry and I all took a drink.

"You've had sex!" Ron shouted while jumping up from his seat. "Who was it!"

"I don't have to answer your questions Ronald." I shouted before I blurted out the truth. To be honest that was the one question I didn't think I could answer. And I had been desperate for no one to ask.

"NO! No more screaming matches" Daphne shouted before anyone Ron could retaliate. "Never have I ever gotten a tattoo!"

Draco, Harry, Ron and I all took a big swig.

Daphne's eyes widened "Really? First sex now a tattoo, miss goody-goody where have you gone?"

Rolling my eyes when Ron slams his cup down at the first part I speak up before things can get hairy again. "We all got a tattoo when the war was over."

"Ohh, lets see" Terry says.

Harry and I stand up at the same time. He takes off his shirt and turns around; in the center of his back, in a ball of flames is a phoenix with the letters DA just to the side. I turn and lift up my shirt on the right side, and pull down my pants a couple of inches to reveal the trees of wisdom shaped like an hour glass, and the letter DA hidden in the roots. Next Ron stands up and pulls his shirt off to reveal the lion tattoo on his shoulder with the letter DA just below it.

"Wicked" Terry says, but I notice Malfoy looking down in shame at the same time.

"Oh yay! My turn" Luna says "ummm, hm. Never have I ever been in a relationship with someone I wasn't entirely attracted to."

She says looking directly into Neville's eyes. Ron, Harry, Blaise and I all took a drink, but no one questioned it.

"Never have I ever, regretted being intimate with anyone." Neville said also looking into Luna's eyes.

I was the only one to take a drink. Mostly everyone gave me a funny look, but no one dared to ask a question.

Looking directly in my eyes Ron said, "never have I ever cheated on anyone."

Malfoy and Pansy took a drink, glanced at each other, and shrugged their shoulders.

***CHIMES***

Not breaking eye contact I ask, "Happy?" Before putting my cup down, and leaving the room.

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**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! R&R**


	3. Game Two

**Authors notes**

**Hello again! This chapter is somewhat shorter than the past ones, but fear not I will update sooner as ****compensation! **

**This chapter will highlight topics that will be discussed in upcoming chapters. Some of the topics are either controversial, or intended for mature audiences. **

**Once again, I own nothing!**

* * *

Game two

Third person POV

_Congratulations on finishing the first game! If everyone would make there way back to the common room, we will continue with the second._

Everyone paused looking towards the hall Hermione had left through. After a couple of minutes of awkward silence Harry stood up to go get her. Just then she stormed back in and headed straight for the bar. Grabbed a tall glass filled it about halfway with ice tea, and the rest with whiskey. She threw her head back drinking it all, and refilled her glass with two ice cubs and a straw before returning to her seat.

_Well, now that everyone is settled, time for the rules. In front of you a paper and pencil will appear. Pick them up._

After a slight hesitation Hermione picked it up, and everyone followed quickly feeling uncomfortable.

_You are going to write your deepest secret on this sheet of paper, and then put the paper in the hat on the table._

Everyone felt a compulsion in their hands when Dumbledore mentioned their deepest secret, and before anyone could stop themselves they had written the thing they'd never told anyone before. Panicking a few tried to rip the paper in half but the slips wouldn't tare. In the end all the papers ended up in the hat, and most everyone had a look of disbelief.

_Each one of you is going to pick a piece of paper out of the hat and read the secret aloud. Should anyone want to confess that the secret is theirs you may, but if you do not then the secret will remain anonymous._

The students sat in utter silence, no one willing to reach in. They knew that if they ever wanted out of this room then they'd have to read all the cards. And even if no one knew it was their secrets being shared, no one could stand the idea of their secrets being heard.

"Okay." Hermione said with her arms out. "Lets just all pick a card, read it out loud, nobody comments on what's said, we don't look at each other. Just read it and move on."

Hermione looked around the room making eye contact with everyone. "Sound fair?"

Without saying a word Malfoy reached into the hat and pulled a slip out. Following his lead, one by one each person in the circle took a slip of paper without reading it.

"Okay, I'll go first. And we'll go in a circle like we did before." Terry looked at his piece of paper and said, "_I am an alcoholic."_

Hermione took a deep breath then flipped the sheet over. "_When I-I was preg-"_ she stumbled took a deep breath in and started again. "_When I was pregnant, I threw myself down a flight of stairs, beat my stomach with a broom, I tried anything I could think of. Eventually, I had accepted my situation and I went to tell the father, but I got hit by a car and had a miscarriage._"

Without missing a beat Harry picked up his card and said, "_I'm gay_."

He looked to Blaise who picked up his card and read, "_Everyone I've ever loved is drifting slowly away, and all I'm left with is a couple of one night stands I can't look at anymore_."

"_I have doubts_." Malfoy said before dropping the card in his lap, "Vague much."

"No comments!" Hermione said from her place on the couch, ringing her fingers and nibbling on her lip. "Pans your turn."

"_I have cancer_." Hermione gasped from her spot on the couch, and Pansy raised an eyebrow in challenge. Shaking her head Hermione sat back in her chair and took a drink.

"_I'm terrified I'm going to end up like my mother_." Daphne said quickly.

"Here here!" Pansy said lifting up her drink in toast, and was met by a number of cold glares from around the room. "Sorry. Luna your turn."

"_I'm afraid of what I'm capable of._"

without missing a beat neville raised his card, "_I can't look in the mirror anymore. I hate what I see._"

Picking up the last card Ron took a deep breath and paled. "_I was raped._"

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**The owners of each secret will be revealed in the upcoming chapters, so please don't hate me! Feel free to post your guesses!**

**Hope you enjoyed! R&R**


	4. Game Three

**Authors notes**

**Like I said I would update quicker, because the last was so short. And I'll probably upload the next chapter very soon as well. I just wanted to mention that I intend for this story to be somewhat long. Not ninety chapters long, but probably closer to fifteen or twenty. If I start making chapters shorter I'll upload two or three at a time, but the next chapters are longer, so if I continue to write long ones it'll take more time. But as I said before, I'm going to try and upload at least once every couple of days.  
**

**Despite my awesomeness I do not own Harry Potter. Darn the Luck. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Game three**

Third person POV

_Ah, that round was very hard for you all, so it is time we lighten things up a little. I believe this game is called 'Beer Pon'. But with a small twist._

At this declaration a large Pin Pon table with ten red cups placed in the shape of a triangle on each end appeared. Getting up, the students walked over to the table and placed themselves around it.

_I will split you all into two teams. Each team will chose a side of the table, and one by one you will all face off against someone on the other team. The object of the game is to get the Pin Pon ball into one of the cups on the other side, if someone from the opposing side gets the ball in one of your cups; you remove the cup and take a shot. If you miss your toss, then you have to tell the room something about yourself. Anything at all, as long as it's true. Speaking of! It has been four hours, so its time for your next does of veritaserum._

Just like last time, ten bottles appeared and we all took a drink without hesitation.

"I thought, umm," Pansy said after taking a drink, "Someone here was an alcoholic. It's none of my business or anything, but…" she paused waving her hands. "Well, it probably wouldn't be the best idea for them to be taking shot. Right?"

_I mentioned at the beginning of the game that anything you need will appear on it's own. For the purposes of the games, we have placed a spell on the room that will make it similar to the Room of Requirements. The room will provide the shots for each player to drink, and will only provide what each person is willing and able to handle._

"Oh, well. Cool then. It's not me. By the way." Pansy said fidgeting with the empty bottle in her hands. "Not that there's anything wrong…" she said throwing up her hands, when the bottle disappeared again.

"Hey no comments right." Harry reassured, before looking up at the ceiling again. "So what are the teams?"

_Glade you asked Mr. Potter. On one team we have yourself, Mr. Malfoy, __Mr. Weasley, _Ms. Greengrass, and Ms. Lovegood. And the other team will be Mr. Boot, Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Zabini, Ms. Granger, and Ms. Parkinson.

_Enjoy the game._

Hermione POV

Everyone lined up at the table, and we quickly fell into a pattern where two players stepped up to the table and took a shot. After both players took the shot they would go to the back of the line and so on and so forth.

I was first at the table, facing off against Malfoy. Who to be honest, just seemed too god-damn smug for his own good. Keeping up a poker face, I gave an unsure look at the table.

"Want me to show you how it's done?" He asked with the same smirk he wore in third year.

Remembering the year fondly I said, "I didn't need you to show me how to throw a right hook, I don't need you to show me how to," I paused while tossing the ball in the air. "Play muggle drinking games." I said just as the ball popped into the first cup in the pyramid.

"Touche." He said and took a shot.

He went for a bounce shot, and I plucked the ball out of the air before it landed in the top cup in front of me.

"What the fuck was that?!"

"What? It's a rule in the game." He looked at me as if I was crazy, and I just laughed. "If the ball hits the table then the opponent can catch the ball to stop it." I explained in my no-nonsense way.

"I want a ruling!"

Dumbledore's voice tolled out across the room. _I'll allow it._

"Fine. My favorite sport is quidditch."

Trying to downplay my happiness I sent a smirk of my own his way.

"It's a nice try, but you don't do 'The Smirk' justice." Malfoy said and flashed his own before stepping away from the table.

Pansy took my place giggling. "Oh yeah Granger, your just missing a touch of malice."

Ron took Malfoy's place and said, "and a whole train load of prat-y-ness." Laughing I made my way to the end of the table.

Both Pansy and Ron missed their shots. Ron took a page from Malfoy's book and said his favorite sport is also quidditch. Pansy said her favorite color was pink. And then Terry and Daphne both stepped up to the table. Terry got his in flashing a big grin. Daphne took her shot and a lime appeard for her to suck. Taking her shot, she missed and said she hated when people called her Daph.

Next, Harry and Blaise who both missed confirmed that their favorite sports were also quidditch. Last were Luna and Neville who both missed (though I have a sneaking suspicion that Neville missed for Luna's benefit). Neville like the rest of the boys said his favorite sport was quidditch. And Luna said her favorite sport was hunting Wrackspurts.

I was still trying not to laugh when I stepped up to the table. Maybe it hadn't been the best idea to drink that ice tea so quickly.

Back to the front of the line I faced off Malfoy, who had a determined look on his face.

"Are there any other _rules_ I should no about?"

"Oh yeah just one." I said putting the ball in the top left cup. "Take a shot."

He raised a blonde brow and tossed the Pin Pon ball into the cup directly across the table from the one I had gotten it in. "After you."

Just then two shots appeared in front of us and we both took a shot never breaking eye contact.

Pansy and Ron both missed again, and said their favorite band was the Weird Sisters. Coming to the back of the line Pansy harrumphed and leaned against wall. "How do you keep getting them in?"

"Remember when Terry said he'd never gotten so drunk he couldn't remember the night before, and I took a drink?" She nodded her head giving me an odd look. "Well. Lets just say I don't take well to doing poorly at things."

"Okaaaaay. But that doesn't help me with my problem."

Just then the table erupted in cheer. Looking over my shoulder I noticed Daphne making a big show of taking another shot. "I don't know what to say Pansy. It's just aim. There's no magic trick or words. The ball either goes in. Or it doesn't."

"Oh thanks, that's real helpful." She said with a chuckle.

"I don't know what you want me to do. I used to practice for hours in the backyard. Practice practice practice." I tried to explain. "I even use to practice drunk."

"Wow." She looked me up and down. "You _really _don't like to lose."

"No." I said completely seriously. "I guess you could say it's my sickness." I said laughing remembering an old episode of _Friends_, when Monika had said that to Chandler.

"What are you-" but before she could ask everyone started cheering again. I turned and saw Neville taking a shot. Looking down at the cups I notice that both sides are even, and take my place behind the table.

"Hey, wanna make this more interesting?" Malfoy asked.

Pansy leaned against the table and widened her eyes comically. "ouuuuuuuuu"

"Ill bit." I said

"Ahhhhhhhh." She continued, quietly clapping her hands in glee.

"Clearly these bone heads aren't very good at the game. Not like you and I, that is."

"I resent that." Daphne said swaying slightly from side to side. She looked up from her glass and noticed us all staring at her, "I'm sorry what?" She said before laughing and falling against the wall.

"Well, I think this game would just move a lot faster, if we played each other." He said lifting a brow.

"I'd hardly call that _more interesting._" I said looking at him quizzically.

"Yes indeed, your right." He turned away with his finger on his bottom lip as though contemplating a great conundrum. "I guess we'll just have to bet on it."

Pretending I need to consult Pansy I lean over to her a whisper nonsense nothings in her ear. Laughing she leans into me and does the same.

Standing up tall again I give him a once over. "What do want?"

"Winner gets to ask the loser a question." He said without pause. Instantly a feeling of unease settles in my stomach, but I push it away.

"Your on."

Pansy takes in an over-the-top gasp again.

I laugh at her before bowing greatly in Malfoy's direction. "After you."

Following that, we each threw the ball into the others cups, and taking subsequent shots. By the time we only one cup in front of ourselves I was starting to feel a little tipsy. Remembering the summer nights I spent drunk aiming at cup across the table I didn't worry. Picking up a ball I made a show of moving around trying to get the best angle.

"Are you going to shoot _before _or _after_ I turn a hundred years old and die in this room?"

Laughing I walk to the middle of the table and toss the ball in the air. Just as I do Malfoy throws a Pin Pon which manages to hit mine just enough to send it off track, before his continues forward and lands in my cup.

"What the fuck was that?!" I shouted.

"Take your shot. Oh wait! Did I just win?" He said with a smug grin. "Why I think I did."

"You son of a bitch." I said not believe that just happened. "You just… And it."

"I just. I just" He mimics me before turning smug again. "I just beet you." He said mocking my bewildered expression. "And on a bet no less. What a shame. So, " he said rubbing his hands together. "What to ask?"

"No. That was _so_ cheating." Shaking my head I backed away from the table as my stomach starts to fill with dread. What if he asks? . . . No no, he has no reason to ask about _that_.

"Would you like a ruling?"

"Yes. DUMBLEDORE?" i shouted.

_I'll allow it._

"Son of a bitch." I hiss. "Fine, Malfoy. Ask your stupid question."

"Why thank you." He said flashing another small grin, before it fell. "I can't help but notice that all of you have been accepting us Slytherins fairly well."

"That's not a question." I said starting to feel a bit better.

"No." He gave a humorless laugh before continuing, "but I was wondering if this is just a show. You know, play nice until these games are over then go back to the way things have always been."

"Ask a question, Malfoy."

"How do you really feel about all of us?" Malfoy asked quickly, like ripping off a Band-Aid.

Before I could think of an answer my mouth just opened as noise came out. "I can't speak for anyone else here, so you have to understand this is only my opinion." I paused and took a shaky breath in. "I think we got lucky with who was put in our _group_. All of you fought in the war, on our side. Yet even as I say it, I realize that it still comes out as _our _side versus _your_ side."

Biting my lip I look towards Blaise and Daphne. "I mean it's easy to be civil with you two. You were always kind of quite. I never heard either of you say a derogatory comment. Then again, you never stood against it, or did anything to try and stop it." At that they both looked down, looking guilty. "And I'd tell any kid that doing nothing is just as bad as throwing the punch yourself. And I always thought I meant it. But it's not true is it? It's different. It's so easy to explain. I mean there were other people there, they could have done something. It's a diffusion of responsibility." I said shaking my head. "And if you really think about it, there was nothing keeping you from joining in the bullying. I mean perfectly average and peaceful people get caught up in the moment and are easily driven into violent acts. Seriously, turn on the TV there are riots everywhere." At the last comment a few people gave me a questioning look and I raised my hand, "Never mind. The point is, you seem like just any other Ravenclaw or Huffelpuff to me."

Looking to my right I see Pansy ringing her hands. "I know you were more…vocal with you dislikes. And who knows that may have been 'momentum'... Who knows?" I repeated awkwardly. "But there weren't many time when you and I had problems, so it's almost the same thing as them."

I tried to stop there, but before I could move on my mouth started spilling secrets again. "Almost, but not completely." I let out a large huff, diving into the explanation. "During the war, I'm fairly certain you saved my life." I noticed her open her mouth to ask, so I just continued. "I was fighting off a few death eaters, when I looked over and caught Fenrir Greyback's eye." At this I looked up to see Malfoy's face pale considerably and his hands clench on the table. "I knew he was going to kill me, and he was making his way over. I was fighting off about four death eaters, I couldn't shake them in time. I saw him raise his wand, killing curse on his mouth. And the next thing a know you come around a bend and kill him first." I say shaking my head of the past. "I don't even know if you knew he was going to kill me, and to be frank. I don't give a rats' ass. And I don't know if my magic recognizes that I owe you a life debt, or if it's just that I'm seeing a different side of you. I mean before today I'd only ever seen you angry. And your _entire_ face literally transform when you switch from a scowl to a smile." At this, a few tears glimmered in Pansy's eyes. Reaching forward I grab her in a hug. "I'm sorry, Pansy I didn't mean to make you cry." At that comment she started sobbing into my shoulder and I rubbed her back.

Unable to stop talking until I had finished answering the question, I turned to Malfoy with Pansy crying in my arms. "I've tried to just let the past go. But for years I've known you as 'the enemy'. When I think of you I think of all the words that cut like glass. The pains I'd hold onto all year, and not release until the first night of summer. When I think of you and our past. I remember spending my first night at home soaking the pillow with tears." I feel my jaw tightening as I try not to say anymore. "And I _know_ that in the end you tried. I do. I really fucking do. And so I hate myself for not being able to let go of the past. And then I get mad at you, for making _me_ feel guilty. And I know that holding on to hate is like drinking a poison and waiting for the other person to die." Feeling exhausted I look down at Pansy (still crying on m shoulder), and take another breath.

"So, that's how I feel when I'm around you Malfoy. Like I'm drinking poison. And I don't even blame you."

* * *

**Sorry! I know I promised that the secrets would be revealed in the upcoming chapters, and none actually were. But in the next chapter, I'll highlight two! I swear! And in the chapter after that...All will be revealed!**

**Hope you enjoyed. R&R**


	5. Game Four

**Author's note.**

**Sorry for the wait! Technically I reveal three of the secrets though. So... your welcome!**

**I don't own anything :(**

**Game Four:**

~~~Bathroom~~~

**Hermione POV**

"Feeling better?" I risk asking as Pansy cleans her tears on a Tee-Towel.

Giving a humorless laugh she looks up and says "Yeah. I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be, don't apologize for tears." I look around not sure what to do. Hopping on the counter I ask, "What did I say?"

~~~Commons~~~

**Third person POV**

Everyone had been standing very silently, not quite sure if it was okay to move. Those who had been starting to feel a buzz had quickly sobered up during Hermione's speech.

Daphne had been just about to get up and cheek on Pansy when Blaise turned to her. "Do you know what happened there? With Pansy." He asked uncomfortably looking around at the other people in the room. His eyes settled on Harry for a minute before he turned back to Daphne. "I've never seen her cry that much before."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was the comment about smiles and scowls."

"Why would that set her off?" Harry asked leaning against the Pin Pon table.

"Isn't it obvious? Her 'secret' was the one about not being able to look in the mirror." Daphne said before she could stop herself.

~~~Bathroom~~~

**Hermione POV**

"I realize how the secret sounded, and I didn't mean it in some 'I have a serious body image problem' sort of way." Pansy said staring at her reflection.

"Good," was my only response. When I got a funny look begging me to continue I took a deep breath. "Don't make me sit here, telling you how beautiful you are, I mean I can. Believe me I could spend a good ten minutes ranting about the greatness of your hair. But I really don't think we need another ego as inflated as Malfoy's running around." I said trying to lighten the situation.

Pansy's laugh died off as she made eye contact with her reflection.

~~~Commons~~~

**Third person POV**

Little did anyone know, but the common room and bathroom seemed to be having to exact same conversation.

"She's beautiful." Ron said turning pink

"She doesn't have a body image problem." Blaise picked up before the conversation could turn to making fun of the weasel.

"No she doesn't." Daphne said. "But, haven't you ever seen her mom and sister? Their all carbon copies of each other."

"Hey," Harry interrupted. "That's a muggle saying."

"Yeah I spent some time in the muggle world after the war."

"You did?" Blaise and Draco asked in unison.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Your getting off track here" Daphne said trying to change the subject before anyone asked the wrong question. "The point I was trying to make is that during the war Pansy and her mom had a bit of a…" Daphne paused as she struggled for the right words. "Falling out."

"Well wouldn't that make her secret _I'm afraid I'm going to end up like my mother._" Terry suggested.

Out of the corner of Harry's eye, he noticed Neville turn towards Luna who was stiff and rather pale.

"No. It's more than just her mother, it's her sister too." Daphne said fiddling with the buttons on her shirt.

"What happened Daphne?" Draco asked putting his hand on her shoulder.

Unable to stop herself Daphne blurted out the truth. "During the final battle, me and her were fighting side-by-side. There was death everywhere, the castle had just about fallen completely over, I don't even know how she noticed her. Daisy had left the dungeons. She wanted to fight in the war too. When Pansy saw her she freaked out. Started screaming at her to get back in the castle."

"But all of a sudden, we were surrounded by death eaters and couldn't get to her. The next thing we know, one of them is walking towards Daisy. We managed to send our opponents flying, and tried to get to her. But the death eater tore off her mask and it was Pansy's mom. She was yelling at her, shouting things like 'what are you doing!' 'are you crazy!'. Me and Pansy thought she was going to get Daisy out of there. We turned back to the fighting, and heard her mom ask what she was doing there again. I turned back to see Daisy puff up and say that she was going to fight to protect the castle. We had just fired a curse at some death eater when I heard Daisy scream. I didn't see it happen, but when I turned to look at Daisy there was a red gash in her neck. Blood was spilling down her chest. I remember seeing her chest rising and falling, and I couldn't understand where all the blood came from."

Daphne started hyperventilating, and Draco told her to stop. But she couldn't see any of them anymore. All see could see was the battlefield. She heard Pansy's screams again and again. Again and again. "When I turned to look at Pansy, her face was covered with blood too. I didn't put the pieces together until later. But she must have turned to check on Daisy right when her mother slit her throat. I saw Ms. Parkinson raise her wand, but it didn't register with me. I was still in shock. The next thing I know Pansy's mum is lying dead in the dirt, not two feet away from Daisy."

Daphne started to blink, as if waking up from a long dream. "I think that's the part that got to her. Pansy had just watched a mother kill her own daughter and now she was lying dead with her. Their hands almost touching.

"Pansy set her mum on fire. Burned the body until all that was left were ashes." Letting out a breath and shaking herself back to the present, Daphne looked out at everyone around her. "We haven't talked about that night. Ever. But I know that Pansy sees her mum and sister in the mirror, not herself."

~~~Bathroom~~~

Pansy just finished telling the story of the night her family died to Hermione. No tears came into her eyes and Hermione could tell that Pansy wasn't the crying sort of girl. She reckoned that Pansy had been holding onto her emotions to the point where a simple phrase was her undoing.

"Lets head back to the common rooms." Hermione held out her hand, and when Pansy took it they both felt a shock as their magic jumped. Not certain what it meant both girls pondered the connection as they left the room.

~~~Commons~~~

**Hermione POV**

Once Pansy and I stepped foot in the common room chimes started ringing again.

_Originally, I had planned a different game, but I like Malfoy's alteration to the last one. So I think I'll just swamp them out. Same rules as last time, but this time if you miss, your opponent asks you a question._

_Everyone must play at least one round._

Simultaneously we all groaned and turned towards Malfoy. Waving his hands in the air he said, "How was I to know?"

"Whatever." Pansy said and walked over to the table. "Coming Weasley?"

Pansy missed her toss, and Ron asked what she would do if she won a million dollars. "I think I'd buy an island and just live there. Away from all the bullshit and drama. Your turn."

Ron threw the ball and it hit the rim of one of the cups before bouncing away. "Damnitt."

"Ummm. What… No who are you most afraid of?" Pansy asked with a satisfied smile.

"Hermione." Ron said without pause, completely serious. I just grinned; that's right boy, you should be.

"Why are you afraid of Granger?" Pansy laughed along with most of the Slytherins and Terry.

"You've never seen her angry."

"I'm not that bad."

"Are you kidding me?" Harry said to my right.

"I'm not." My voice raised a few octaves and cracked. Before Harry could comment further I held up my hand, "Shut up."

"Yeah your not that bad." Ron said on a laugh.

"Hey I've been holding back. You're just a bunch of whimps." I said finitely.

"Hey, hey lets just keep the peace." Terry said walking over to the table. "Daphne?"

Daphne walked up to the table, with a tall glass in hand. She took a swig and yelped, "Whooo" before taking a step back and getting eye level with the table. "Now you here me. Table. You and I are going to get this shit fired up, yeah?" She straightened out again with a Pin Pon ball in hand. The ball hit the table and then started to go left. Terry's hand shot out to grab the ball before it fell off the table and the ball used his hand as a backboard before flying into one of the cups.

Everyone started cheering and hollering, and Daphne looked around confused for a moment. "Oh! Fucking A!" She jumped around then held out the glass in her hand as a shot appeared in front of Terry. "Take your shot, baby!" and she downed her entire glass with him.

When Terry missed his shot, Daphne asked him what is the one thing he'd change about himself if he could. Looking down Terry gulped. "I'd make myself healthy. I'd take away the cancer."

Everyone was really silent, not sure what to say. Daphne put her glass down, looking like she'd sobered up. "I'm sorry. I didn't think. It was just supposed to be a silly question. I didn't think... I'm sorry."

"Hey. How were you supposed to know? For most people it probably would have been a silly answer. I meant to give one, but I couldn't stop myself from blurting that one out." Ducking his head, he looked depressed.

Blaise steps forward, and puts a hand on his shoulder. "No comments right?"

"No comments." Terry replied and we continued with the game, most of us taking long drag of our drinks.

Harry and Blaise both got the ball in a cup and took their shots. Neville got his in and Luna took a shot. She missed her throw and Neville asked her who her favorite Love Bear was. She giggled like a schoolgirl and replied that it was him.

Just ew. They are _gross_ when they're coupley. And they are coupley when their _drunk_. But it did the trick of helping us get into a goofier mood. We all boo'd at their antics and things were lightened up again.

Approaching the table I give Malfoy a small glare. "So. Anymore tricks?"

"No no I'm all out." Malfoy said raising his hands.

"Too bad." I said pretending to pout. "I thought we could make this more fun." Looking up I smile and bat my lashes innocently.

"Oh really?" He said lifting one of his gorgeous blond brows. Wait what did I just think. No. Nope, just forget it. We're playing a game. "How so?"

"Have you ever heard of the game horse?" I pause and when he just looks at me like I'm an idiot I take it as a no. "Well, in the game one of the players would do a trick shot, and the other players have to try and do the same one. Interested?"

"Sure. After you." He said with a bow.

Backing up I describe the shot. "Two steps away from the table. Turn to the side." Raising one of my legs I lob ball under it and the ball goes in to one of the remaining cups. "And sink it!"

Laughing he takes his shot and completes the same toss I just did. When a shot appears in front of me, he jumps up the same way I did. "Drink it!"

Taking the shot I look to pansy to take my place.

"Can't you guys just keep playing for us?"

"Fine but your taking my shots." I said with a sly grin. I was already pretty buzzed after the ice tea, and all these shots were starting to fuzz my brain. I mean, Malfoy was starting to look like he had a hallo, and that's just weird.

"Deal!" Pansy said. I'd only seen her have the one drink, so maybe she wanted to get a little drunker.

"You up for the challenge Malfoy?"

"Sure, but it's my turn to pick the trick." Nodding my head to encourage him to continue he scratches his head. "Okay. Put your hand up. And _don't move_." Feeling incredible tempted to do just that I fight to stay still. He uses my hand like a backboard to get it into one of the cup in front of me. The shot appeared in front of Pansy and she took it with a orange slice.

Following Malfoy's lead I used his hand a backboard to get the ball in his cups. Our tricks and shots continued, and Pansy was starting to look pretty buzzed by the end. When there was just two cups in front of us it was my turn to decide the trick. I turn by back to the table, and a wall appears just before me. Tossing the ball underhand I hit it against the wall and send it flying overhead and into Malfoy's cup.

I hear the splash of water when the ball goes in and turn around to see everyone flipping out.

"Did you really just do that!"

"Holy crap!

"Holy _fucking_ crap, more like!"

Feeling drunk on happiness I start dancing around, and Pansy joins in too. After a brief jig, we end up grinding with each other, and look to see the boys with their tails between their legs.

After the excitement settled down I raise my eyebrow to Malfoy.

"Challenge accepted."

I laugh at the _HIMYM _reference, and he turns around as a wall appears behind him. There was a collective intake of air as we all waited with anticipation. Taking his shot he misses by a landslide, and me and Pansy bump hips.

"Challenge denied!" I sing out and take a drink from my glass.

"Hm. What to ask? What to ask?" I mimicked his earlier contemplation. "Ah. That's right." I put my glass down on the table and look him in the eye. "How do you really feel about muggles and muggle-borns?"

Keeping eye contact he responded without hesitation. "When I was younger, I saw all the beautiful things magic brought. And I knew that muggles would never be able to experience that, so I pitied them. And in time the pity morphed into a sense of superiority.

"When I got older, I saw all the damage magic brought. I saw the disasters it wrought and I hated the muggles for not having to see it. I still knew that magic was a gift so the wizards were better cause they had it" he trailed off with a slight scoff. "But they didn't suffer the consequences and so I grew to hate them.

"I was told I was right to feel the way I did so I never changed my attitude. Until I saw them dragged into our world and suffer at a mad man's feet. I didn't _want_ them to suffer. That's when thing started to change. I stopped hating them, I still felt superior. But I didn't hate them anymore."

"After the war I left the wizarding world, and hide in the muggle world for a while. I learned about the things they had accomplished without magic, and I stopped pitying them. I saw the beauty of the technological world. And then I learned about the destructions they brought to each other. That's when I was finally able to accept that they're the same as us. I became fascinated with their history, and realized they'd fought wars just like this over and over. People hyped up on beliefs and trying to push those beliefs onto everyone else.

"For a while I tried to justify my past hate, by arguing that muggle-borns were going to change our society. And I'll admit, I do worry sometimes. But I've accepted that change is going to occur no matter what. We can't section ourselves off from the rest of the world; we have to let them influence our lives. And maybe… we can influence theirs."

Maintaining eye contact, Malfoy lifted his drink and took a sip. Doing the same we came to a silent agreement. A truce.

As the drink pored down my throat I couldn't help but notice; it didn't taste like poison.

* * *

**Hope you've enjoyed! R&R - seriously. Your reviews make me so excited that I absolutely _have_ to keep ****writing! READ AND REVIEW**


	6. Game Five

**Authors notes**

**Hello! This is a long chapter so I will _not_ be uploading one tomorrow. As promised all the secrets will be revealed in this chapter! Fair warning, because of the nature of the secrets the majority of this chapter won't be overly joking. I did add in some comic relief where I could, and the following chapters in this story will be more upbeat. However, I've never been very good with fluff, so there will still be...intrigue.**

**As always I don't own Harry Potter, or anything what-so-ever. JK Rowling is still the queen of the world, I'm just the puppet master!**

**Enjoy the Games! **

* * *

Game five

***CHIMES***

_Congratulation! We are on the final game. Are you excited? I am. Quite so I must say._

Everyone in the room held back comments, even Harry who has always been close to Dumbledore, was struggling not to throw a fit.

_So the final game is Truth or Dare. It has been another four hours, so you will be taking another dose of truth serum. But this time you will also take a potion that binds you to your challenges. The teachers and I have decided to provide a forfeit deck, if you are asked to do something, or share something you are unwilling to partake in. However, be warned the forfeits may very well be worse then the original challenge, and they will most likely be a long term consequence. Should you take a forfeit card you will be bound to uphold it, and will not have the option of doing the original challenge instead. _

_Do enjoy yourselves._

**Hermione POV**

With that, the Pin Pon table disappeared and was replaced with the large desk once more. We all made our way over to the lounge. Luna and Neville took the love seat again, and Daphne hopped back up on the bar. Terry and Ron sat on the couch facing the bar, while Harry, Blaise, and Malfoy sat on the couch facing the chairs. Last Pansy and I sat on the floor in front of the short table, and pulled the chairs behind us to use as backrests.

We all sat and waited for someone to start. I noticed that every time someone's glass was almost empty, they'd refill instantly. "Okay fine. I'll go first." I looked around the room, trying to settle on my pry.

"Luna, truth or dare?" Getting an idea I quickly add, "pick dare."

"Um, dare?"

"Open the door and let us out so we don't have to play this game." I said perking up. Everyone else in the room straightened up at my suggestion.

_I'm sorry Miss. Granger; although it was clever it will not work. I'm automatically enforcing a forfeit card._

"Sorry Luna."

On the table a pile of cards appeared and Luna picked the first one to read aloud. "Because this was a trick, and a decision forced on you this will be a light punishment. You must kiss one of the students in the room…" she paused and looked at me. "Of the same gender."

I turned pink as she continued to stare at me. "Well, it was your bright idea. Get over here. Lion." She added with a wink at the end.

Recognizing a challenge when I hear one I stood up and strolled over to her. Straddled her lap and putting my hands on either side of her face, I lean in slowly. I heard her start to chuckle softly, and I brushed my lips against hers gently. Backing up again like a garden snake I tilted my head to the other side before pulling her closer to me and kissing her passionately. I heard a few people holler behind me and smiled with my lips still pressed against Luna's.

When we broke apart both of us laughed good naturedly, and I leaned back still straddling her lap. "Your turn." I said before standing up and returning to my spot beside a laughing Pansy.

"Harry. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"I couldn't help but notice the look you gave Daphne when she mentioned that everything was okay because the drinks had appeared. Why?"

One look at Harry's face and my suspicions are confirmed. "I'm the alcoholic." He said bluntly. "I'm not ashamed, but I was worried that maybe Daphne…" He struggled for the right words. "May have an alcohol problem as well."

"I'm not an alcoholic!" Daphne nearly shouted. "I just enjoy the beverage because I _can._" After a moment she seemed to de-puff, and continued, "I didn't mean it the way it sounds. Like you can't and I can. It's not…" she shook her head and let the sentence fall.

"I gotta ask." Malfoy said taking the attention off Daphne. "What have you been drinking."

Laughing Harry responded with a simple, "Pumpkin Juice."

After that we quickly got back into the groove of thing. People were dared to eat/ drink and odd assortment of things, and lick things off each other's bodies. For the most part everyone tried not to ask anything too personal. It was like a silent agreement. Don't ask, don't tell. But I never picked truth, just to play it safe.

Shaking my head back to reality I heard Daphne pick "Truth."

"Why were you in the muggle world?" Malfoy asked as if he'd been waiting for his chance.

"I was hit by a car, and stuck in a hospitable." She said without thinking. Collectively everyone's thoughts turned to the second game. _When I was pregnant, I threw myself down a flight of stairs, beat my stomach with a broom, I tried anything I could think of. Eventually, I had accepted my situation and I went to tell the father, but I got hit by a car and had a miscarriage._

"You were pregnant!" Blaise jumped up dumbfounded.

"Yeah… I was on my way to tell you, and I thought I'd stop by a Chinese food place. I thought it would be good to bring something, and Chinese is your favorite." She said trailing off. "The car came out of no where. When I woke up and the doctors told me I had miscarried. I took it as a good thing. It's not like we'd talked since that night, so…"

Looking over at Blaise I noticed Harry face was pinched.

"Blaise, Truth or Dare?" Daphne asked cutting off my thoughts.

"Dare."

"Come on Blaise. I just want an honest answer. What's going threw your head?"

"What's going threw my head? How about, damn! That was close. What would we have done with a baby? It's like you said we barley talked since the night anyway. I'd started dating again by then anyway. I'm just sorry you had to go threw that alone. You could have told me. I would have been there for you!"

"You're dating someone?" Daphne said with a mischievous grin.

"Really? That's what you pick up on?"

"Yes. I and I still have dare." She said grinning widely. "I dare you to find and kiss this person – with all the passion you have for them. Right now. Wherever they are."

Blaise smirked as well, turned to his right and started kissing Harry with such fever I felt my eyes start to burn.

My jaw hit the table, and I noticed Malfoy shift on the couch looking decidedly uncomfortable.

To my right Pansy wolf whistled and the boys laughed and broke apart taking hands.

"Your gay! We slept together!" Daphne said. She looked right pissed for a moment before leaning back tilting her head. "You know, on second thought. That actually makes me feel better. I thought it was me. But as it turns out, it was you." She said nodding.

"I don't know about anyone else… but I'm starting to feel hot." I said fanning myself, as Pansy laughed beside me.

"Do any of you have a problem with this?" Blaise asked.

"Because it's not that it would change anything, we just want to know." Harry continued, and then looked at Ron and I.

Everyone shook his or her heads no, and Blaise looked to Malfoy.

Putting his hands up he said, "Hey man no problems here. I could tell by the way you were kissing, that you have real feelings for each other. _That_ made me more uncomfortable then the guy on guy thing." Malfoy put his hands down the asked seriously, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We didn't tell anyone. The less people who knew the less likely it would get leaked to gossip columnists. And we didn't want our relationship on the front of the tabloids." Harry explained.

"Besides it was kind of fun sneaking around." Blaise put in with a grin. "Anyways." Blaise said loudly, before anyone could interrupt. "Hermione, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare." I responded automatically.

"Always dare" Blaise said smiling. "Alright. I dare you to streak through the halls."

"What in the fuck!"

"You said you were feeling hot. This should help you cool down." He said with an evil smirk.

"See that's how you do a smirk!" Pansy shouted. "With just the right amount of malice, and playful innocence." She kissed her fingers with a loud smooch, as if she were Italian.

"Oh damnit, I better not regret this." I mumbled as I reached for a forfeit card. "Your forfeit is to remain in a three foot radius with the person you consider your greatest rival." Gasping I look up in panic, just as I feel myself being drawn over the table and thrown against Malfoy's chest.

"Oh no. Oh no. No. No no no no no no no no no." I said into his chest, refusing to look up.

"I don't think saying no, actually makes this so it's not happening." I could hear the smirk in Malfoy's voice. I reached up and punched him in the arm, before I stood up and tried to take a step away. I could feel the magic pulling me back in his direction, but I wanted to see how far I could go before it stopped me.

Taking another step back the resistance increased to the point where I couldn't move any farther.

"Oh this is fan-fucking-tastic." I said starting to freak out. "And to think! I could have streaked."

"Look, Granger. As flattering as this panic attack is - "

"No you don't get it. It's not that I'm dreading having to spend _time_ with you."

"In close proximity." I add as an after thought, feeling the panic rise. "It's that there was no definitive end. So I don't know how long this bullshit is going to last. And, well. I have to pee. And what about sleeping, or eating, or-" I cut off completely not able to say it out loud.

"Or what?" Malfoy was starting to look a little more nervous, and I could see him freaking out about this.

Looking around myself I let out a frustrated cry. "I can't even pace!"

"OR what?!" Malfoy repeated seeming to lose his patience.

Leaning down like I'm about to spill a dirty secret I say, "Bathe"

"Are you a witch?"

"Oh yeah." I said calming down. "Well I still can't pace. And _I'm_ a pacer." I said pointing at myself for emphasis. "And to be honest. We're not friends. This is the first time we've ever been civil towards each other. And it's like you asked before is all this 'niceness' going to go away tomorrow when we wake up sober. And- "

"Calm yourself!" Blaise said jumping up from the couch. He put both his hands on my shoulders. "Everything is going to be okay. We're not monsters, we're not going to eat you."

"Ha! I'm not afraid of you. I can kick your sorry ass from here to Kansas. In fact." I punched him in the stomach. He bent forward with a grown and I leaned in real close. "This is your fault. So I'm going to get you."

Straightening back up, Blaise put his hands out in surrender while baking away. "I told you bro, she's crazy." Ron said while I just glared at him.

"Does anyone know a spell to relieve ones bladder?" I asked

"Ou, something the know-it-all _doesn't_ know." Daphne said before putting her hands out in surrender when I glared at her.

"Here I got it." Malfoy said pulling out his wand.

"No it's fine. I'm fine."

"Wow." Malfoy put his wand back in his robes. "You really do have a problem with me, don't you?"

"No."

"Then what – "

"I don't like people pointing their wands at me. Okay. Happy? I'm a control freak, and don't even let my closest friends point their wands at me. Much less someone I've only – _just today_ – had anything close to a good time with." Sensing his upcoming comment I quickly said, "Don't say it. Don't push your luck."

"Well." Malfoy gave a straight face before letting it break out into a smile. And it was a genuine smile. It did wonders for his face, added a sweetness to the rugged handsomeness. "Don't you have to pee?"

And there goes that moment.

"Yes actually." Grabbing his shirt I pull him off the couch and start walking down the hall.

"No Granger really, just let me do the spell."

"Relax you oaf. I have a book I'm fairly certain will have the spell in it, so I'll just teach it to myself and everything will be fine."

Pulling to a stop he said, "I could teach it to you."

~~~Common Room~~~

When Hermione and Draco returned to the common room they sat on the floor, putting Pansy between them. The night continued as it had before, but the forfeit pile lay untouched for the rest of the night.

After a few hours everyone was sufficiently drunk, and had done inexcusable things. Or in Blaise's case; was going to. Hermione had waited for him to get drunk enough to pick dare when she asked him. As luck would have it, she got her chance about an hour and a half after she was stuck to Draco. She dared him to wear the dress he'd worn to Draco's family Christmas party, during breakfast on the first day of classes.

"_I'd love to" Blaise said leaning forward. "I looked damn hot in that thing."_

He fell asleep twenty minutes later on Harry's lap. Shortly following him, Daphne and Terry fell asleep. But the game continued without them, and it was almost time for the re-drinks when Hermione picked truth for the first time that night.

Ron had been hoping he'd get the chance to ask her a question before the night was out. He knew if he didn't get his answer tonight, he never would.

Hermione POV

"Truth." No wait. I didn't want to say truth. Why didn't I want to it again? Oh well, too late now.

"Who did you have sex with?"

Slapping my hand to my mouth I started shaking.

"Shit."

Who said that?

I didn't know. I felt a finger nail crawl up my leg and I started panicking. I felt my heart racing and I tried to crawl away, but I was frozen.

"Hermione?" I was on the floor. We were playing games. Ron! He asked a question.

"Hello mudblood." I was on a floor. There were people around me, something smelled like rotting flesh? Was that me?

Why did I think it was me?

"Get off him!" I'm on a floor. We're playing games. A head of blond hair is on a head of red.

Red. Like the blood. There was so much blood that night.

I have to tell the truth about it. I must. It's the rules.

But I can't say the words. They're locked in my throat, and I'll never let them out.

I'm on a carpet. I feel his breath.

"NOOOOOOOOO"

I remember leaving. I had left my body, I wasn't there anymore. Why was I still here? I shouldn't be here, I should be gone now. GET ME OUT!

As if answering my wishes I felt an instant tranquility overtake me. Everything slipped away. It didn't matter what reality was real, I wanted this one. The one where I felt warm, like sitting in the sun on a summer day. The one where I can smell a freshly cut lawn, and the faintest hint of saw wood. In the world where I don't have weight, and gravity seems like a lie. I chose to stay in the place where the only sounds are ice cubes, gently pecking at the side of a glass as if asking to join the birds in a song.

~~~Third person POV~~~

Draco was lost in rage. He flew at Ron and started punching him. Harry jumped up and tried to break them apart. In his haste he woke a very confused Blaise. Harry shouted something at the boys, but no one was paying attention; Hermione had started to scream. She kept yelling and tossing her arms around. She clawed at her skin as if she were trying to get out of it.

She wanted desperately to be out of her body. And she left a trail of cuts down her arms to prove it.

Pansy had grabbed at her arms and Neville made a grab for her feet. Blaise jumped off the couch and tried to help Pansy. Luna sat on the chair in shock for a beat, before jumping down to help Neville. Together they were able to make her stop.

Pop

Blaise looked up to see a potion had appeared on the table. "Harry!" He shouted. "Get the bottle and pour it down her throat."

Not sparing a glance to the fighting boys, Harry poured the contents of the bottle down her throat and she calmed instantly.

Harry, Blaise, Neville, Luna, and Pansy all sat back and looked over at the fighting boys.

"STOP!" Pansy shouted. "STOP."

The boys looked over at her, both sporting fat lips and black eyes, with Draco's hands around Ron's throat.

"Stop." Pansy said again, and looked down at a bloody Hermione.

"You know what happened." Harry didn't ask, he knew that much to be true.

"Well sure." Draco said bitterly. "I know every twitch, every scream, every moan." Getting off of Ron he fell off the couch, to kneel at Hermione's side. "It happened the night you were captured. Bellatrix had gone wild. She was torturing her with such hatred. I've never seen someone endure so much. At one point the pain was so bad you could _see_ the nerves under her skin, even aunt Bella was surprised by that. Voldemort himself couldn't create such pain."

Neville stood up and raced from the room. Luna stood up after him and noticed Draco's face crumple. "He doesn't hate you. I think he just forgets you're related to her."

After she left the room Harry encouraged Draco to continue. "She wouldn't break. It had been hours, and _Bella_ was getting tired. She thought another form of torture would loosen her tongue. Those were her exact words."

"Who?" Ron asked, fists at his side.

"Want to kill him?"

"Of course." Harry said seeing red.

"So did I. I bet she did too. But we both were beat." Draco said looking to Pansy.

"Oh my god. Fenrir." Pansy said covering her mouth with her hands.

~~Neville's room~~

**Third person POV**

Luna walked down the empty hall until she came by a door with Neville's name on it. Opening the door to a dark room she didn't bother to take in her surroundings, she only had eyes for Neville, pacing across the room with his hands in his hair.

"They don't suffer anymore."

"Really?" Neville said turning to face her. "Not even at the hands of their own son."

"What do you mean?" She walked over to him like he was a caged animal. She put a hand on his arm and he fell into her. They sank to the floor as he started to tremble.

"I've hated them." He admitted. "I've always been _so angry_ that they would just check out that way. I know they were tortured, and I know it wasn't their fault. They didn't ask for it to happen to them.

"But even though they were alive. Even though I could seem them, it felt as though they'd left. And I _hated _them for that. But how could I hate my own parents. It's like Hermione said earlier, about drinking poison. I didn't want to be angry with them, but I was. Every time I saw them all I could think is 'Why didn't you hold on?' 'Why didn't you come back?'" Looking into Luna's eyes he asked, "Why?"

"There's rarely any answers Neville. A part of surviving is having to live with the questions." Knowing this wasn't enough; Luna decided to tell Neville about her secret. "Have I ever told you about my mother?"

It was a rhetorical question, she'd never told anyone about her. "The day she died, we'd been making a cake. My father's birthday was coming up. He was out by the gardens looking for Razzle Bees. Tricky creatures." She said looking off for a moment. "We'd been joking around throwing food at each other. She told me to go wash up, and when I got back down she'd show me her latest experiment."

Luna felt Neville stop trembling, but she also felt warm tears streaming down her chest, soaking her shirt. "When I came back down, I saw her leaning over a cauldron. A piece of egg was sliding down her hair and it dripped into the potion." Neville's breathing had slowed and deepened while she talked. He'd stopped crying and she continued her story, "In the beginning I was just shocked. But eventually the shock dissipated, and all I was left with was anger. I tried not to show it, I tried not to be angry. How was I supposed to tell anyone I was mad at her? She was the victim of an _accident_. It was a stupid acciedent."

"Your not the only person to feel this way. Just because your parents didn't die, doesn't mean they aren't dead in a way. Doesn't mean they didn't leave you alone with all this new responsibility. And even if a small part of you hates them, and even bigger part of you _loves_ them." Not getting a response, Luna looked down to see Neville sleeping peacefully.

Taking advantage of a silent audience, Luna decided to finish her story. "When I got older people would tell me I looked just like her. They meant it as a compliment, but I flinched every time. I loved her, but I knew I was just like her. Just as curious and carless. When people told me I was like her, I could see myself ending up like her. Married to a man because I'm pregnant, and living in a house surrounded by gardens. Gardens I use for experiments. Experiments that will kill me."

She stopped briefly to make sure Neville was still sleeping before continuing her narration. "My mother bought me a pair of pearl earing when I was six. I had seen the ones she wore, and begged for a pair. I was wearing them the day she died. I used to carry them around in a little black bag, too afraid to put them on again. The day of The Battle I threw them into the lake. Sometime I wonder if they're just lying there at the bottom of it, or if one of the sea creatures found them."

Luna drifted off in thought unaware that Neville had been awake the whole time. She continued to pet his hair and eventually he fell asleep thinking about her story. It wasn't for a long while later that Luna leaned back until she and Neville were sprawled out on the floor.

Luna contemplated the day. She had guessed that Neville's secret had been that he _had doubts_. But she had feared he meant doubt about their relationship.

It had been easy enough for her to figure out. She's observant, and for the most part, invisible. Neither Blaise nor Harry had noticed her when they exited the storage closet on the train-ride today. So she new that they were both gay, and logic dictated that one of them had put that in as their biggest secret. She didn't determine that it was probably Blaise, until she saw Harry fiddling with a coin in his pocket. She remembered muggles talking about Alcoholic Anonymous meetings, and how people earn coins with time on it, for however long they'd stayed sober.

The girl's secrets had been fairly girl-like in fashion. Though she had paused for a moment at the one about the mirror. But she dismissed it knowing that Neville took pried in the scars he'd obtained during the war. He knew he got them doing the right thing, and he used them as a reminder of all he'd survived.

She new cancer was a muggle illness, and so only a muggle-born of half blood could have it, which only left Terry, as all the boys were pureblood. Though she wondered if Harry could get muggle illnesses. His parents were both wizards, but his mother was muggle_born_.

The comment about loneliness seemed unlikely. Neville and his grandmother were closer now than ever before. Whenever he and she weren't together, he was with friends from DA. There was no reason for him to be lonely. No she suspected that secret belonged to Ron. Between Harry's new relationship, Hermione's sudden departure, and losing his brother, it seemed the most rational conclusion.

Luna had considered that to be Draco's secret, but she figured he had always been somewhat alone. And the secret about fearing what their capable of fit his situation. He'd been in the thick of the dark side, seen and quite possibly done horrible things. Besides, she had seen him kill his father that night. She could only imagine the inner conflict that had created. As offal as Lucius Malfoy was, he was still Draco's father.

Feeling sleep come over her, Luna couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Neville's secret was about something more than his parents. Shaking her head she assured herself that whatever it was, she would be there for him.

* * *

**Hope you've enjoyed! R&R**

**Just a reminder of who owns what secret:**

**Neville - has doubts**

**Terry - has cancer**

**Harry - alcoholic**

**Blaise - gay (and dating Harry, so he is too.)**

**Hermione - was raped**

**Draco - Fears what he is capable of**

**Pansy - Can't look in a mirror without seeing her family's faces reflected**

**Daphne - had a miscarriage **

**Ron - feels alone**

**Luna - fears living in her mother's footsteps**


	7. When Games Have Consequences

**Authors note**

**Hello again! So that was the last of the games! But are they really over? Bum Bum Bummmmm**

**So guess what ! I got a call from JK Rowling, and now I own HP! Just kidding! Thats a lie. ****It really is a lie ... I can't emphasis this enough. A LIE. **

**I do not own Harry Potter in _any_ way. Which is too bad really, cause I'm awesome.**

* * *

**When Games Have Consequences**

Hermione POV

Crunch.

Crunch. Crunch.

Oh man. It feels like my head is going to explode. And what is in my mouth? Honestly it feels like I've been sucking on soaks all night.

Crunch.

I felt more than heard someone groan underneath me. I jerked back in surprise, only to be awarded with the world spinning as I opened my eyes.

Holy crap. What the hell happened, was there an accident? Did the train go off the tracks? No, we made it to school. Yeah.

Suddenly I remembered everything from last night. Games, truth cerium, shots. Lots of shots. Pansy, Malfoy. Oh shit. Separating my fingers so I can see through them, I look down to see Malfoy observing me. Oh joy, I feel asleep on Malfoy.

And then I remembered the circumstances to falling asleep, and I groan like Malfoy had. "Shit. Does everyone know?" I whispered, unable to speak properly with the state of my mouth.

"About…"

I nod my head yes and regret it instantly. Fighting of nausea I try to pay attention to his reply. "Yeah, everyone 'cept Terry and Daphne. They slept threw it."

Crunch.

"Oh. My. God." I say turning towards the kitchen. "Why are you doing this to us?" I ask as my head pounds with the sound of her crunch. Pansy smiles and chuckles seeming too chipper considering last nights drinking.

"Us? Interesting." She smirks, putting a spoon full of cereal into her mouth and resuming her crunching.

Below me Draco groans, and mumbles something incoherently.

"What?" I ask to both of them, my head hurting too much to process the situation.

"Oh nothing." She said flippantly. "Come on over here and take my magic elixir!" Pansy said excitedly as she poured what could only be described as sludge into two glasses.

Malfoy and I shuffled our way over to the kitchen and I watched as Malfoy plugged his nose and drank the potion without stopping. I look at the thing in my hands doubtfully before turning to the two Slytherins.

I noticed Malfoy had gotten some color back (who'd have thought he could be paler than his normal pastiness). But I looked at the concoction in my hands and seriously questioned if it was worth it. I leaned forward to smell it and Malfoy grabbed the glass out of my hands.

"Trust me." He chuckled. "You _really_ don't want to smell it."

For a moment I stood transfixed. He looked amazing standing there looking all ruffled, with his hair falling freely in his face and catching the sun perfectly. I couldn't help but admire the rim-lighting effect it created. I also noticed that his shirt was hugging his body, and I could tell he had some well-defined muscle under his shirt. My gaze had been drifting slowly downward when Pansy snapped her fingers

"Alright there Granger?"

"Hmm?" I noticed her knowing look, and snapped out of my earlier stupor. Grabbing the glass I ignored the tingles I felt in my fingers when they touched Draco's, and drank the potion quickly.

Almost instantly I felt my head clear of the fogginess. I remembered last night more clearly, and groaned at some of the things I did. After I made out with Luna people had dared me to do the same with the other girls. I remembered sitting in Terry's lap and licking salt off his neck before taking a shots of whisky with an orange slice that he'd had in his mouth.

"Remembering the good times?" Malfoy said with a smirk.

"Yeah your one to talk. I distinctly remember you having Neville in your lap for five minutes while you kissed."

"Well." He huffed, "you better have enjoyed your little dare, cause it's not happening again."

"Awe, that's too bad." I said grinning ear-to-ear. "It was wildly hot." I say giving Pansy a wink.

"Oh yeah, it got me real steamed up." Pansy agreed nodding.

"Then I hope you took a picture." He shrugged while walking around the island. Feeling a tug, I'm propelled to follow him.

"Oh good." I say still grinning. When he turns around he gives me a questioning look so I elaborate, "Because I did."

Without pausing to see his reaction I turn to make my way to the toaster and feel the pull haul Malfoy along. My smile grows when I hear Pansy laughing at Malfoy's expression.

"I'm sorry, you what?"

I put two slices in the toaster and turn around smiling viciously, "I took a picture." Tilting my head and feigning innocents, I ask "didn't you know that?"

"Give me the picture Granger." Malfoy said trying to look intimidating, but just coming off desperate.

"Aw, but _you said_ you hoped I took a picture, because it wasn't going to happen again."

I fought really hard to maintain a serious expression, but it was growing increasingly hard with Pansy's hysterical laughing.

"Give me the picture." Malfoy repeated.

"What I don't even get a please?"

"Please! Give me the picture please!" Malfoy shouted losing patience.

"You know. I thought a Slytherin would have a better poker face." I say looking disappointed.

"I'll play you for it."

"Um, no."

"What are you? Chicken." He taunted seeming much more confidant than he had before.

"Hardly." I replied smoothly. "Just practical."

"What do you want?" He asked without deflated.

"Oh I haven't the faintest idea." I said smirked. "And that's the best part."

"There!" Pansy shouted, reminding us she was still there. "_That_ is how you do an evil smirk." She said holding up her hand. We high-fived around Malfoy just as my toast popped.

I heard Malfoy mumble some more things about evil girls teaming up on him, but before either of us could comment Harry walks into the room with his hair all wet like he'd just had a shower. Following him in, Blaise appears rather rumpled for having just come from a shower as well.

Smirking to myself I listen to Pansy and Harry talk about her hangover remedy. "It's a secret recipe, ask Blaise. I haven't told anyone before, and I'm never going to."

"Oh I wouldn't say never." I say taking a bit of my breakfast. At everyone's raised eyebrows I continue, "If you say your never going to do something. You almost certainly end up doing it."

"Oh really?" Blaise asks.

"Sure. I told my parent I would _never_ get a tattoo, and as you all know. I did."

"Yeah but that's lying to your parents 'never'. Everyone lies to their parents." Pansy argued.

"True. But…" I struggle to find another case in point. "Oh! I said I would _never _kill someone. I knew we were going to war, but I said I would never throw the killing curse, and I did." Thinking of another case I said. "And I told myself I'd never use magic on my parents, but I did that too."

Remembering the outcome of that particular curse my mood plummeted quickly. I remembered rushing down to Australia when the war had finished, hell bent on finding them and returning their memories. I knew there was a good chance it wouldn't work. The mind can only lose so much before it remolds and cannot regain its old shape.

But I had spent the whole summer researching how to do the spell _just right_. To alter the memories more than remove them. I changed my identity in their minds to an adopted daughter who'd died in a car crash when she was sixteen. After that, all I had to remove of myself was the last year of my life. I'm still _so sure_ it would have worked. But when I got to Australia, I learned they had died in a car crash.

Bitterly, I thought about the irony of it all.

Shaking my head back to reality, I noticed Harry had managed to distract everyone while I was lost in thought. Catching his eye I mouth 'thank you'.

Taking another bit of toast I notice Malfoy giving me an odd look. Shit, maybe Harry's distraction hadn't worked on everyone.

~~Monday Morning~~

Hermione POV

The rest of the weekend had gone well. For the most part. We all went down by the lake; Neville and Luna went for a walk, and at some point Blaise and Harry disappeared too.

The rest of us sat back, throwing pebbles into the lake and talking about entirely unimportant things. It was nice.

It wasn't until dinner Saturday night that I started thinking about how this "magically bound to my greatest rival" thing was supposed to work. It suddenly popped into my head that we didn't know where we were going to sit. However, my concerns were quelled upon entering the great hall. The room had been magically extended to include a fifth table for the eighth years.

Unfortunately, once I'd started to think about that, a bunch of other problems came to mind. What about our classes? Surely we couldn't be expected to miss some classes, to go to the others. Or would McGonagall issue me another time-turner? We asked Dumbledore about it, and he said it had already been taken care of. We had taken all the same courses, with the exception of muggle studies (I'd been shocked to here Malfoy had picked that as an elective, until he reminded me of his fascination with their history).

However, it wasn't until everyone had gone to bed that night, before we discussed sleeping arrangements. We decided to transfigure one of the couches -in the main room- into a bed. This way, at least, no one had the "home field advantage" so to say.

We'd tried to make two separate beds, but ended up falling off in the middle of the night, and resigned that it would be safer to sleep on the same bed. Unfortunately, we had a tendency to end up lying on top/or entangled with one another. What made it worse, Pansy is the early riser in the house, and so she always catches us sleeping like that.

But aside from her not-so-subtle remarks, things seemed to be going fine.

There had been a few awkward moments between Draco and I, when we were left alone together and run out of things to talk about. It was during one of those awkward moments when we had decided to try and call each other by our first names.

"_So…" I said._

"_So…" he repeated._

"_Look, Malfoy – "_

"_Draco." He interrupted_

"_What?"_

"_If we're going to be in each others presence consistently, then we should be civil to one another." Turning towards me on the sofa he held out a hand. "Hello, my name is Draco."_

_Rolling my eyes I shake his hand. "My name's Hermione."_

"_Nice to meet you Hermione."_

Smiling at my trial of thought, I almost miss Blaise walk into the great hall wearing a ball gown. Almost, but not quite.

Across from me, Ron drops his spoon (full of porridge) half way to his mouth. Hearing the students collectively gasp I start shaking with mirth. Pansy was the first person to laugh aloud, and when she did the entire hall followed. Not one to be mocked, Blaise took a great bow and sass-shayed his hips as he walked.

Trying to stop laughing I wipe away tears that had managed to leak out. "I – I – I" dissolving into another fit of laughter I feel Draco hit my back a few times.

"Now now, Hermione. Use your words." He joked.

Unfortunately, all it did was make me laugh harder. After a few minutes I calmed down. "I forgot I dared you to do that." I said chuckling some more. "But you were right, you do look _hot_."

"Of course I am. I'm always right." Blaise said puffin out his sequence chest. "Of course I was just as surprised when this monstrosity appeared as everyone else was. I didn't remember the dare. Can I thank you for this."

Grinning widely, I nod my head in confirmation.

"I just can't believe I'm wearing this wretched thing again! I'd hoped to never see it again."

"You and me both." Malfoy said smirking.

Just then, the first delivery owl flew into the great hall. As it was the first day not many people got mail, which is why I was surprised to see an envelope drop on my plate.

Hearing Blaise say something about burning the damn thing, I ripped open the letter. "It's not enough to burn the thing, you have to burn the ashes too." I heard Blaise harrumph in agreement and tipped the letter over in my hands.

"Fuck!" I screamed and jumped up. Looking down at my hands I noticed there was some sort of slime on them, and it was melting my skin. "Not again." I groaned as the pain increased. Turning to make a run for the infirmary, I was yanked to a stop and fell on my back. The acid on my hands dripped onto my chest and I yelled out again. I felt someone pick me up, and peeked my eyes open to see Malfoy carrying me and running through the halls.

Trying to distract myself from the pain I concentrated on the feel of his abs against my side. When that wasn't enough, I tried to think about how warm his arms felt cradling me. I tried to picture what he'd look like all sweaty in the sun, but all that did was remind me of the burning in my hands, and on my chest.

I could feel the acid spread down my arms and enter my blood stream. It had reached my elbows by the time we made it to the infirmary, and I was starting to feel dizzy.

I remember being laid on a bed and potions being pored down my throat. I remember someone telling me to stay awake, but the thought of sleep seem so nice. I closed my eyes and thought about dancing on lullabies. But the voice was persistent.

Two hands joined the voice, and started shaking me. My eyelids felt like they weighed eighty pounds, but I struggled to open them so I could tell the person to leave me alone.

"Stay with me Hermione."

"Shhhhh." I said. Or at least I think I said it. It's hard to tell, I'm so tired.

"Mhum jsckt gownnna sssslip awable." That didn't sound right. I tried to tell the voice I wanted to sleep awhile, but it kept coming out odd.

"In a minute, but you have to stay awake for now. Can you do that?"

Turning my head to the right, I saw a women hunched over something. She had red all over her, and I decided I'd call her the Red Lady.

A set of hands interrupts my new discovery by turning me back to the voice.

"Can you stay awake Hermione?" The voice asks again.

Why is it so persistent? Just leave me be. I _want _to sleep.

"Hermione!" The voice shouts again. "Can you stay awake for me?"

I can hear how desperate the voice is. I nod my head in answer of his request.

"I need you to say it out loud."

Come on buddy, now your just being difficult. Trying to remember how to move my mouth I mumble, "Yis."

"Does anything hurt?" The voice asked.

What an odd question? I tilt my head to the side and think about it. "Na"

The voice continued to make me talk to him, and I continued to struggle for my words. At one point I saw the Red Lady leave, but she came back quickly.

The Red Lady would say things every now and again, and the voice would change topics to ask another silly question. Sometimes I'd grunt, and the voice would ask again until I answered. I tried to just keep answering, but sometimes it'd be harder then others.

Eventually the Red Lady poured something down my throat, and the voice told me I could sleep now. The voice's hand brushed my hair out of my face, and I leaned into the hand. I was asleep in seconds.

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**Hope you enjoyed! R&R...or else!**


	8. When Games Get Dangerous

**Authors notes**

**The plot thickens! she says as she pecks her fingers together gently, and laughs manically. Just as her laugh reaches the diaphragm, she bursts into cough, and the effect is ruined. Ah well, there'll be plenty more chance for an evil laugh in the chapters to come!**

**I, regrettably, do not own Harry Potter in any way shape or form. **

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When Games get Dangerous

**Third person POV**

Hermione slept for three days, talking every now and again. During those times she seemed semi-aware of her surroundings because she would mumble comments about the conversation. Draco quickly learned that she had taken to calling him: The Voice, and Madame Pomfrey: the Red Lady. When the others came by she collectively called them: the people. No one could understand why she recognized them as their 'nicknames', but not their real names. Madame Pomfrey theorized the induced delirium tampered with her long-term memory, but that her short-term memory was still intact.

Throughout the day the students harassed Pomfrey by dropping in at all hours. They'd bring food up during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And bring homework during breaks, and when their lessons ended.

The first night Pansy had faked a stomachache, quickly followed by the others, in an attempt to stay the night. Madame Pomfrey humored them, but didn't allow a repeat the second day.

Daphne, Terry, Neville and Luna dropped by frequently for the following days, but didn't make themselves live-in's like the others.

At night, when they were kicked out of the infirmary the students felt restless, and decided to look up the mysterious potion. After the first day of research they'd been disappointed not to find anything relevant, so that night they snuck into the forbidden section of the library, to see what they could find.

Apparently, the potion was a form of dark magic that is particularly difficult to brew. Its purpose is to melt the skin and muscle. What makes it so dangerous is that when it enters the blood stream, it is pumped directly into the heart. And when the potion enters the heart there is nothing anyone can do.

They had been lucky Snape prepares complex antidotes during his spare time, and had given Madame Pomfrey the antidote last year. Apparently he had been concerned that students would be forced to brew dark magic potions, just as they'd had been taught dark magic in DADA.

Further research indicated that it was only due to resent development in health care, that Hermione's skin and muscle could even be healed at all. Before then the only other survivor had been a potioneer, who'd accidently dropped the brew on his legs. He had the antidote on hand, but had lost a large chunk of muscle that no healer/or potion could regrow.

The group had been informing Draco of this when Hermione opened her eyes.

**Hermione POV**

"We think whoever made the potion either hoped it would kill her, or at the _very least _take away the use of her hands."

Take away someone's hands? On impulse I tried to wiggle my finger, but nothing happened. Starting to panic I opened my eyes and looked down at my arms. They were covered with bandages, and proved immobile.

"Hermione!"

"Your awake!" I looked up to see Draco, Pansy, Ron, Blaise and Harry surrounding my. Looking past them I saw other beds and medicine racks.

"Why am I in the hospitable?" Looking down at my arms I tried to move them again, to no avail. "Why can't I move my hands? What's going on?"

Just then Pomfrey came threw pushing people out of my way. "Hello dear. How are you feeling?" Pulling out her wand she did a series of movement and a number of charts appeared for her to read.

"Just dandy, except the thing about not being able to move my hands." I said nonchalantly, trying not to sound scared.

"Not to worry dear, that's a temporary side affect to the numbing potion." Putting down the charts she used her wand as a flashlight to check my eyes. "Can you tell me my name, and the year?"

"Madame Pomfrey." I heard a 'phewf' just behind me and saw Malfoy run his hands threw his hair. "What –"

"And the year?" Madame Pomfrey cut me off.

"Um. September 7th 2001." I answered. "First day of classes. Did I miss them?" I asked nervously.

"Hermione." Harry said as he sat on the edge of my bed. "You've been asleep for three days. So you've missed a few." He joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Just then Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape all entered the room. Snape approached Pomfrey, and she handed him her charts. He gave them a quick glance over and nodded without commenting.

Before I could ask him about it, McGonagall told everyone to leave for the moment.

"I'm sorry professor, but I can't do that." Harry spoke up.

"Neither can I." Ron agreed

"Well isn't that touching." Snape said condescendingly. "But rules are rules, only family is aloud to be present for meeting like this."

"With all due respect sir, we are her family." Harry said, not one to back down.

Dumbledore sighed, and said "Very well" before the two of them could start a battle of wits.

"I'd like to point out that I physically can't leave." Malfoy said from his chair beside me.

"And I'm feeling queasy. Maybe I should take a seat over here for when Madame Pomfrey's done." Pansy cradled her stomach and hopped up on the bed to my right. When she sat down she winked at me and I laughed.

"It's okay let them stay. You know they'll just pitch a fuss until you do." I croaked.

Smiling, Dumbledore nodded and got right to business. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Yes. I opened a letter, and something came out all over my hands. They started burning, or at least that's what it felt like. I fell over, and the stuff got onto my chest, then um." I looked at Draco blushing. "Draco carried my here, and after that things get somewhat hazy."

"Have you gotten mail like this before? Or received threats similar in nature?" He continued.

I felt my shoulders tense, should I tell the truth?

"Yeah she got that letter in forth year. Remember?" Ron answered for me.

"Hermione?" Dumbledore said maintaining eye contact.

Letting out a long breath, I recognize I've let the lies go on long enough. "The day after I left in the summer." I began to the shock of Ron and Harry. "I was wandering threw a park in France. I had just sat at a bench to have lunch when an owl dropped down beside me. I didn't know whom it was from, so I cast a spell to make sure nothing dangerous was in it. The spell came up clean so I opened the letter." Here I paused and took a deep breath. "The letter was just ranting at first: mudbloods are an abomination, and you're the worst of them all. It said things about how I had gotten off lucky, and that I was an ugly cow."

Shaking my head I tried not to let the words bother me. "I was just about to rip the nonsense when I noticed the bottom paragraph talking about my parents." Having long since memorized the paragraph I recited it without looking up: _I'm sure the poor couple in Australia feels the same way. It's ironic really. They survive a war, where they'd been tricked into hiding, and narrowly escaped the bounty over their heads, only to die a week later. And to die in a car crash no less. It really is whimsical. And to think, the daughter they thought had died just a year before them could have saved their lives. If only she had cared enough about them to go find them the second the war was over. I know I would have._

I continued the narration before anyone could comment, "I stood up from the bench and looked around, but the owl that had dropped off the letter was gone. For days I tracked the bird, it was the only thing to have touched the letter, i suppose whoever had written the letter wore gloves. The spells indicated that the owl was flying from one port to the next, and I'd decided it was a dead end. It was then, that i caught the news. I had stopped by a bistro when I heard people talking about a bombing in the park where I got the letter.

"Apparently I had left just in time. And although no one died, thank god, a few had been injured. I altered the tracking spell -with some difficulty- to show me _where_ the letter had been written. It indicated a cottage in the mountains. Whoever lived there had put anti-apparition wards everywhere. The only way to the house was to walk. It took a few weeks, and when I finally got there it was empty. The only thing left was a note warning me not to look for them, that all would be revealed in time.

"But I was angry, so I didn't give up. I decided to brew the identification spell. Whoever had written the letter had used a blood quill. Somehow the person found out, and they sent me a package with a note saying, _I warned you._" Tears sprang up in my eyes, but I fought them back. I took a deep breath to steady myself; I didn't want to have a breakdown with everyone watching me. "When I opened the package I found Crookshanks with her paws cut off.

"After that I backed off, and returned to Grimmauld Place. This is the first I've heard of them since."

After that everyone fell into a discussion about safety precautions and contacting the aurors, while I started to drift off.

I faintly remember hearing Madame Pomfrey tell everyone to get out; I needed to rest. The last thing I remember before drifting into unconsciousness was someone running a hand threw my hair, and turning my head into their palm.

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**Hope you've enjoyed! R&R...now please!**


	9. When Games Get Messy

**Authors notes**

**Hello again! So this is the first time the great hall will be destroyed! excited?**

**JK Rowling owns all, I'm just taking over for a while!**

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When Games get messy

**Third person POV**

It had been two weeks since Hermione was released from the infirmary. Two _long_ weeks of having people ask her how she was doing. Of having aurors coming in to ask her about her parents death, the letter, and her search for the sender. _Two_ _long weeks_ of people tiptoeing around her. And it had been two_ very _long weeks of being attached to Draco, and never getting a minute to herself.

And it was nothing against him personally; they had become quite friendly. It's just. One person can only stand being around another person, without breaks, for so long. She remembered being on the run with Harry and Ron, and all the times she'd wanted to hex them. But they would get a couple hours alone while they took watch, and she was finding herself to greatly missing that. _Time alone_.

She wasn't the only one. Draco had always been an independent person. He was an only child, and sure he had plenty of friends to play with. But it's not like having a sibling. Now that he'd been spending _so much_ time with one person, he realized he was an idiot for always wishing he had one.

And he didn't mean it as an insult to Hermione. No he thought she was great. But he just wanted to be able to go places without having someone be attached to his side. He wanted to be able to do something whenever he felt like it, and not have to see if she wanted to as well.

And damnit, he missed flying.

It had always been a good stress reliever in his life, and he was _stressed_. It was weird for him. He hadn't been this edgy during the war, but he always felt like he was surrounded by broken glass.

They both felt that way. They were always trying to be careful what they said. They didn't want to get into any fights, what would they do then? Turn around? Hardly. Both were hotheaded, opinionated, and stubborn. They didn't want to risk having emotions running high, and still be forced together by magic.

Granted, they had noticed the spell giving them increasing amounts of space from the other. After a few days of being attached they noticed they were able to walk further and further apart. They estimated they had about six feet of space between them now, and they decided to take advantage of this by sitting opposite each other at the table. However, they still ended up falling off the bed when they tried to sleep on separate ones, but still, progress is progress.

Unfortunately, every morning when Pansy woke them her comments grew more suggestive. And every morning the pair of them took her a smidge more seriously.

It was a touchy subject. Who would want to put themselves out there, get rejected, and then _still_ be stuck to them.

Suffice it to say, the sexual tension had been building in both parties for days. Everyone knew it, and there was a poll going on how long it would take before they broke.

Pansy had bet that it would happen sometime this week, and she was running out of time. At dinner that night she decided to lean on them a little, see if she could push them together before her time ran out.

Pansy was sitting beside Draco, and she leaned in to spell him. "What kind of cologne are you wearing?"

Giving her an odd look Draco answered slowly, "I'm not."

"Huh. How odd. I could have sworn I smelt something." Turning to Hermione she asks, "Do you smell it?" She sniffs the air again. "It's like new parchment and freshly cut grass."

Hermione straightened remembering their sixth year potion class, when she mentioned smelling those things while bent over Amortentia – the love potion.

Not finished, Pansy leaned in closer to Draco, who quickly pulled away. "Are you wearing spearmint toothpaste?"

"Yes?" Draco asked more than said.

"Hm, interesting." She said looking back to Hermione. When she opened her mouth to talk again Hermione grabbed a pie and lobbed it at her. Unfortunately, in her haste she ended up hitting Malfoy in the face instead.

"Ops." She said, shoulders shaking trying to resist laughing.

Very slowly Draco reached up to wipe the food off his eyes. Very calmly he reached out and smeared the pie all over Hermione's face. Pansy sat very still so as not to spook them, but after briefly glaring at each other, they turned steady glares to her.

She put her hands up hoping for mercy, but seeing their eyes show none she decided she might as well work this to her advantage. "What did I do?"

Picking up the ladle full of mashed potato's Draco dumped the contents on her head and said, "you keep smelling me, for starters."

"And." Hermione grabbed a spoon full of rice, to add to Pansy's new collection. "You keep saying… weird little comments about us."

"Oh well." Draco laughed, and refilled the ladle before dumping the contents onto Hermione's head.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"You encourage her!"

"I do not!" Hermione says standing up, and resting her hands on the table.

"Sure you do." Draco says mimicking Hermione's position.

Getting angry, Hermione picks up a bowl of rice and dumps it on his head. "Well if I encourage Pansy, then you encourage Blaise."

"What did I do?" He asks feigning innocence.

"Shut up!" They shout in unison.

By then everyone in the great hall was watching the spectacle unfold. When Hermione and Draco both armed themselves with bread everyone held their breath. Not even the teacher thought to stand up and say something, they were just as shocked by the events unfolding.

Pansy slowly ducked under the table, followed by Daphne, Ron, Neville, Blaise and Harry. Luna stayed above the table, happy to watch to coming fight.

Meanwhile, Hermione and Draco continued to measure each other up. At the drop of a hat they both threw their food at the other, and some non-descript Hufflepuff shouted "FOOD FIGHT!"

All the students jumped up and started throwing food at whoever was in their way. It only took seconds for the hall to be covered in food, but because of the charms n the pots, the food continued to pour in and fuel the fight.

Hermione and Draco seemed immune to anyone other than each other. They were completely invested in their personal vendettas.

"_This_ is for _beating _me in _every. Single. Class._" Draco enunciated each word by throwing a muffin at her.

"_This _is for _bullying_ me at _every. Single. Turn._" She responded in kind, with an arm full of fruits.

"Well" he jumped on the table. "At least I only used _words_." He said grabbing a bowl of gravy and pouring it down her shirt.

Hermione grabbed a fresh bowl or strawberry sauce and she climbed on the table. "_Words_ that _hurt_." She said pouring it down his shirt too. "And I wasn't scoffing at your _heritage _or _appearance. _But rather you _personality_." She continued shoving handfuls of blueberries in his face and mushing them around.

Following her lead with a handful of raspberries Malfoy reasoned, "Not as much as _hex's _and _right hooks._"

Backing up Hermione laughed and said, "Yeah that was a good one."

"_Besides_." Malfoy continued with a handful of mashed potato's. "_You've_ been calling me _ferret_ for _years_."

Getting angry again Hermione grabbed handful of potatoes too. "Oh, boo-_hoo _" she said before grabbing a basket full of buns. "Try being the _freak_ at home, and the _reject_ at school. Try being constantly reminded you're a _bucktooth, _with _frizzy hair, _and an _ugly_ face. Why don't you go. _Your. Whole. Life_ being unwanted!"

"I did!" Draco shouted. "The only difference is _I. Still. Am!" _He emphasized with handfuls of cake.

"Well sure. _Once_ a coward, _always_ a _Sniveling. Little. Coward._" Hermione said throwing handfuls of pee's at him.

"Coward?" he said grabbing a cake, "I went against a _lifetime_ of beliefs, I pulled a _turncoat_ on people who would _skin you alive_ for less. I turned my back on my _family_ for a society I didn't even _know_. You call me a _coward_ for my actions as a _child._" Draco said dropping the plate now that the cake was all gone.

"You _just watched!"_ Hermione screamed. Draco's shoulder slumped; he didn't have a response. She grabbed anything she could throw at him, "_You. Just. Watched. _I _screamed_ and I _begged_. And you _just watched." _With nothing left to throw, she started hitting him in the chest repeating herself. "_You. Just. Watched."_

Her punches didn't have any weight. Draco barley felt them, and when she was hardly touching him anymore he grabbed her arms.

The magic that had been keeping them together suddenly snapped.

Feeling defeated she started sobbing into his chest, and he lightly caressed her hair. She remembered the sensation from when she was injured and took great comfort in it.

When she'd been tortured, she'd seen the pain in his eyes. But a small part of her had always been mad at him for not doing anything.

She knew it was ridiculous. What could he have done? Spoken up and gotten killed too. But a part of her always knew she'd have to live with that feeling. She'd sworn to herself that she would act like she'd moved on, and hope that one day she actually could.

And today when she started hitting him she realized she was hitting his family, not him. In her minds eye she saw Lucius and Bellatrix. She looked into their hate filled eyes and lashed out. But then she remembered she was hitting Draco and couldn't fault him anymore. She realized he couldn't know what she was thinking and stood up to tell him.

He let her go. He had believed that they were getting along. That they'd come to a truce. He saw the look in her eyes and he knew she was going to tell him to leave her alone. He stepped away shaking his head, "It's okay. I get it."

He'd turned away to fast to see her shaking her head no. She hiccupped and stumbled after him, but she was still shaky and couldn't catch up.

He maneuvered through the crowd, and she just sat on a bench putting her head on her hands.

How was she going to fix this?

~~~Common rooms~~~

**Hermione POV**

I can _not_ believe I'm about to do this. This is ridiculous!

Hermione was pacing the hall in front of Draco's room.

_After the food fight she had run to the Commons to explain to him that she didn't blame him, but he was already gone. She'd waited on the couch, shaking like a Chihuahua and jumping every time someone opened the door._

_When Pansy finally came back, she'd told her everything that happened, and what Draco thought._

_Pansy had told her that even if she explained how she really felt, Draco probably wouldn't believe her. He'd grown up with people always telling him what they thought he wanted to hear, so he was used to it._

That's when I got _this_ brilliant idea.

_I had run out of the room without even pausing to tell Pansy my idea. When I got back she was standing in the place where I'd left her, arms crossed over her chest and glaring for good measure._

_She raised her eyebrow in silent question, but I didn't answer. I just asked if he'd come back yet._

That was three hours ago, and he still hadn't returned. Everyone had already gone to bed, and I was still standing here, covered head to toe in food.

I was considering doing a cleaning spell when Draco rounded a corner. Upon seeing me he tried turned around to leave.

"Wait!" I yelled.

"Look, Granger. It's okay." He said crossing his arms. When I raised my eyebrow he continued, "Really, I'm fine."

"How you are, is your business, but I have something to say and you need to hear it." Grabbing a bottle from my coat pocket, I held it up for him to see. "This is veritaserum. I stole it out of Snape's stash, so that alone should tell you I mean business."

I watched as his eyes widened comically, and continued before he could interrupt me. "I only took enough for an hour, so I'm going to say my piece and then lock myself in my room." Draco didn't say anything, and I didn't wait for him to. I uncorked the bottle and drank the damn liquid whole.

I paused as the potion spread throughout my body. When I felt sufficiently warm I looked Draco in the eyes. "I don't blame you for that night. I'm not mad at you for not doing anything. I was, I'll admit that. But today I realized that I don't blame you. I'm _glade_ you didn't. We both know what would have happened, they would have killed you for that kind of betrayal. And I've come to find the prospect of you being dead, unpleasant." Not willing to continue talking, I stalked past Draco towards my room.

Before I could pass though he grabbed my arm, and turned me to face him.

"What are you doing?" I asked nervously. I knew this was a stupid idea! Did I learn nothing from the games?!

"It's like you said; once a coward, always a coward." He smirked. "how would you describe our relationship?"

"We're not friends." I saw the way his face fell, and I grabbed his chin to make sure he kept eye contact. "Not in the sense that we're less than friends." I saw the briefest flash of hope, before he covered it up again. "But when I think of you, 'friends' isn't the word I'd use. You're different. I'm too attracted to you to think of you as a friend."

Grinning wildly, Malfoy grabbed me on either side of my face and kissed me. My hands tangled in his hair as shots of electricity made my stomach do flips. The kiss was brief, yet feverish and sweet. When we broke apart we were both smiling, and our hands lingered on each other. I trailed my hand down his chest, and to my delight I saw goose bumps rise on his arms. "Good night."

I swayed my hips as I walked away. When I got to the door I turned my head to see him still watching me with a smile. It was one of those genuine smiles that make him so beautiful it leaves me breathless.

I spent the rest of the night feeling breathless, and it was worth every second._  
_

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**Hope you've enjoyed. R&R.**


	10. When Games are Fun

**Authors notes**

**Hello! So I really, really tried to do a fluffy chapter. And for the most part it is...but I just couldn't help myself ;)**

**I do not own HP. **

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When Games Are Fun

**Hermione POV**

Beep beep beep beep

Ugh, rolling over I slap my hand on the sleep alarm. I couldn't fall asleep for hours last night. I just tossed and turned, and whenever I got close to sleep I'd jerk awake like I'm forgetting/or missing something.

Ah well, it's too early to think about things. At least it's Friday! Thank freaking god.

Feeling my face turn up with a smile, I remember last night. Damn that kiss. Damn that electricity!

_No Hermione! You are _not_ going to be one of those girls. I will not let you!_ I scolded myself.

Mm, but he did taste good.

_I suppose that's an improvement. Horny, not girly. I'll allow it._

Chuckling to myself I got up and took a shower. The water was scalding, but that's okay. It loosened my muscles and cleared away the fogginess. After shampooing and conditioning my hair in about five minutes, I indulged myself by staying under the spray for another twenty.

After living on the run for a year, nothing feels better to me than having a nice soak in the shower. At first I had felt bad about wasting water, but I found a great spell that sends all the used water from the shower into the toilet. The water gets used twice, without being gross. Win win, and a happy Hermione.

After I get out of the shower and towel dry, I place the slow drying charm on my hair. In my younger years, I used the standard spell, but it only ever made my hair wilder. During the summer before the war, I had been scavenging through books for useful day-to-day charms. Spells to keep you and the home clean. That's when I realized there were a fast drying for manageable hair, and a slow drying for the unmanageable. It takes an extra ten minutes, but it's worth it to have flowing spiral curls, instead of my usual mess.

I laugh as I remember when I decided to forgo learning more personal spells (like the bathroom one) in favor of researching food spells. They were more tricky, so it took some time, but by the end of the summer I'd taught myself to keep food fresh, and make itself. As-well-as duplicate itself. Unfortunately, food can't be conjured so there are multiple limitations to the spell. For starters, the spell splits the taste in half to divide between the quantity. For second, it won't keep as long (even under stasis charm). And thirdly, it can only be done once. And even though we still spent many night hungry, the spells I'd learned did keep us from being malnourished.

Starting to feel like my mood was dropping too much for a Friday, I started humming _walking on sunshine_, and as my hips involuntarily moved to the beat in my head.

_I used to think maybe you loved me, _

_Now baby I'm sure_

Spitting out the toothpaste in my mouth I grab my brush and use it as a microphone.

_Now I can't wait till the day_

_You knock on my door_

_Now every time I go to my mailbox_

_Gotta hold myself down_

Swaying and flipping my hair, I lean against the door to the bathroom and sink down it like a pole, as my free hand trails down from above my head.

_Cause I just can't wait till you write me,_

_Your coming around_

I say banging my head like I'm in a rock band before springing up just in time for the chorus:

_I'm walking on sunshine_

_Whooah_

I alternate between singing to my reflection for one line, to tilting my head us and signing to the roof on the next.

_I'm walking on sunshine_

_Whooah _

_I'm walking on sunshine _

_Whooah_

As the chorus comes to an end I do a spin and jump, sticking the landing to end up on the counter singing towards the shower.

_And don't it feel good_

_Hey alright now_

Kicking my legs up to un-cross them, I slip down to the counter and dance in intricate steps around the room, sticking to the beat.

_And don't it feel good!_

_Hey, yeh_

Not hearing to door open behind me I keep singing and dancing like a goof

_I used to think maybe you loved me_

_Now I know that it's true_

_And I don't want to spend all my life_

_Just in waiting for you…_

Draco joins in my singing, scaring the living shit out of me. Screaming I jump to cover my legs cause I was dancing around in an old shirt.

Not pulsed, Draco walks over, swinging to the beat as I had been. He grabs my arms and starts doing dances from the twenties, while still singing along to the song.

_Now I don't want you back for the weekend_

_Not back for a day_

Spinning me around the room, I laugh and join in again.

_No no no_

_I said baby I want you back_

_And I want you to say_

We swung out with our hands spread out, and did jazz hands as our head fell back

_Whoa-yeh_

Making our way to face each other, we sing the chorus dramatically to each other. Using our hands as their own language, and jumping erratically to the beat.

_I'm walking on sunshine_

_Whooah_

_I'm walking on sunshine_

_Whooah_

_I'm walking on sunshine_

_Whooah_

Both of us pause for a beat before throwing ourselves into the next line

_And don't it feel good!_

Doubled over laughing at our antics, I reach up to wipe away a tear that had sprung up. When I straighten out, I get a good look at Draco lost in his laughter. For a moment I'm shocked. I'd thought I'd seen his 'true' smile, but _this_ blew that out of the water. The sun coming in from my window illuminated his face. Haloed his utter glory.

_Hermione! We talked about this. Do _not_ be one of those 'lost in the clouds' kind of girl, just because of a guy._

But even as I was thinking it, Malfoy straightened and I got a full force view of the way he looks when careless and happy. My grin spread, and my lips stretch impeccably far. I can almost _feel_ the laugh lines settling in again. I've missed them these past few years, and by the look in his eyes I can tell he feels the same.

That's when I decide that I don't care if my mind goes senseless with stupid and annoying couple thoughts, every now and again. I'm still me, and now I'm going to be the me who can be a little crazy, a little free, and dare I say: a little _girly._

I walk forward with purpose, and grab Draco by the collar of his shirt, pulling him down to kiss me. I can feel his smile grow impossibly wider as his hands caress my waist, and pull me closer to him gently.

Keeping one hand scrunched in his shirt, the other tangles in his hair, and I hold him closer to me with fever. I nibble at his bottom lip, and when it opens my tongue darts, and he quickly joins my enthusiasm.

His hands become stronger and press me closer to him, as one of my legs wraps around his waist to press him closer. Still not satisfied, our tongues twist together in battle.

Feeling his member press into me, a moan rumbles deep in my throat. As though that undid Malfoy, he grabs me by the hips and hoists me onto the counter across the room. When seated, my legs lock around him, holding him close. Sitting up taller, my tongue gains dominance and we lose ourselves in the passion.

Not to be outdone, Draco makes stars explode across my vision. I swear he must have rolled his tongue, like he was rolling his R's.

Breaking apart for some much-needed air, our heads rest against one another's. My eyes remain closed as I try to stop my head from spinning.

We hold each other close, and just about breathe the other's air. I smile, as I smell the spearmint toothpaste. I've always loved the scent, but now I'm sure it's the goddamned smell of sex.

Opening my eyes I'm gifted with the sight of two shining grey orbs.

Ah, beautiful.

"I should sing with you more often."

Tilting my head back, laughs come out sounding like music. It's been _so long_ since I felt _this good_.

Draco's hands drift down my shoulders towards my waist as he leans back so we can look at each other properly.

"What _are_ you doing here?" I ask.

"Oh, I just came to see if you were awake yet, and then I heard you singing, which lead me in hear like a sirens song." He said with a wink, nudging me playfully. "Breakfast should be finishing up soon though, so if you want something to eat?" He trailed off kissing me lightly.

Ignoring his suggestion, I give him a once over and notice he's still wearing his pajamas. When I unhook my legs from around his waist he backs up a step so I can jump off the counter.

"Well, you better get a move on then, ah?" I say slapping his ass as he turns toward the door.

Both of us enter my room laughing, as a small fluff of white darts into my arms. "And who is this adorable muffin?" I ask starring into the brilliant green eyes of a Persian cat.

Looking back to Draco I see him smiling. Just as I open my mouth to tell him I couldn't accept this, he stops me by raising a hand. "I know, I know. I shouldn't have. She's a living animal, and it was too expensive. But it _really _wasn't. And every witch or wizard should have a familiar.

"I know you've been feeling a hole in your life ever since Crookshanks died, it's the way wizards are." Looking down at the beauty in my hands I recognize the truth to his words. When I opened the box to see Crookshanks dead, I felt like a part of me was torn in half. "And this isn't a replacement, she was a stray, in need of care. No one wanted her, but I knew you would give her the love she deserves."

Chocked for words I look back at the cat in my hands. She is much smaller than she ought to be. She had the same squashed face as Crookshanks had, but she was significantly skinner. I could almost feel her bones in some places, and it broke my heart.

"Thank you." I grabbed Draco in a hug, before leaning up to kiss him with pure gratitude and emotion.

Smirking he said, "Your welcome." We just starred at each other a moment, saying more in one glance, than we ever could with words. "I better go get ready. Oh! And I left a collar on the dresser, just think of a name and it'll engrave itself on the tag."

Before I could comment he raced out the door, and I walked over to the dresser.

Picking up the collar I fiddled with the tag a moment.

"What do you want to be named? Hmm" Trying to think of something special, I was hit by inspiration from Egyptian history. Hatshepsut was a queen who'd lead the country through a era of peace and prosperity. Deciding that just what our world needs a little of, I think the name and it appears in italic across the gold circle plate.

Putting the cat on the dresser I fasten the collar around her neck. Just as I do a piece of parchment appears, woven around the strap. Uncurling it I flatten it out to read the message.

_I'd spend all nine lives, with you._

~~Meanwhile~~

Third person POV

In a dungeon on the other side of the country, the atmosphere was very different. The room had almost no light, the only illumination coming from a weakly cast spell. The caster was bitter and foaming at the mouth as they leaned over a cauldron.

They coughed, and looked up from their current task. Mold could be seen growing on the walls under the slime accumulated from botched brews. Even the spiders and rats, that had once inhabited this part of the abandoned house, had scurried away to more hospitable environments.

Feeling angry, the brewer spit on the floor. And to think, they had once been so orderly, so clean. But that damned girl changed it all; she always ruined everything. Now this person hunts for measly scrapings, and sleeps with the rats that used to live here.

Stirring left handed, the vile creature turns to look in the mirror. Covered in grim, they are barely recognizable. But in their eyes, in the shape of their face, you can almost see what they used to be. That same deranged hint is still in their face, but it's been morphed into something more primal and vicious.

"I _will_ get that bitch." It said.

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**Hope you've enjoyed! R&R - who do you think the psycho is?**


	11. When Games Don't End - Part One

**Authors notes**

**First things first. I will not post a chapter tomorrow, sorry. But I need to write as many as I can and save them for the upcoming week. Secondly, most of the things going on in this chapter are to set up for situations to come. Exciting? I think so!**

**I do not own HP**

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When Games Don't End – Part One

**Hermione POV**

I met up with Malfoy in the hall, and we ended up making out again. I think I'm becoming one of those hormone-crazed teens…it's fun.

By the time we came up for air, we decided that we'd be too late for breakfast to go to the Great Hall. Suddenly I remembered last nights event, I'm still amazed we didn't get in trouble. I could see McGonagall and Snape shaking with anger, but before they'd had the chance to gather their bearings Dumbledore had interrupted them.

"_Well, wasn't that fun."_

"_FUN?!" They shouted unanimously. _

"_Yes, quite." He smiled at them, eyes twinkling mischievously._

_Most of the other teachers chuckled at the professors, but Snape and McGonagall starred flabbergasted at the Headmaster. For a moment they turned to each other, before returning their gazes to the him._

"_FUN?!"_

"_Yes, yes. All good fun." He answered still smiling._

"_They destroyed the great hall." Snape said, while Minerva's mouth flapped open and closed like a gold fish. _

_Without missing a beat Dumbledore replied, "I see nothing broken," as he surveyed the room. _

"_This place is a, a…"_

_Waking up from her revere, McGonagall finished Snape's sentence "It's a disaster zone."_

"_Well, that's a little melodramatic. It's just…messy." _

"_MESSY?!" The two said again. _

"_I just love it when you two see eye-to-eye so well." Dumbledore said trying to change the subject. _

_Ignoring his comment, Minerva continued to make the Headmaster see reason. "The student were fighting, they ought to be punished._

"_Well, unfortunately, the events of today are not, strictly, against the rules." Before either could try and argue, Dumbledore put his hand up. "No one used magic, or injured each other, or slandered each other. The great hall faced no severe damage. There are no rules about throwing food; school supplies, clothing, or sharp projectiles, yes. But not food."_

_At that the fish expression returned, and a few students made the mistake of chuckling. Quick as lightning, Snape took twenty points from Ravenclaw for disrespectful conduct towards teachers. Following his lead Minerva took thirty-house point from Gryffindor for not wearing their uniform ties. _

_They continued to take point from all the houses, using any penalization they could come up with. By the end of the night each house had lost approximately two hundred points, and a new rule had been added to the school._

_Rule 76: Food products are not to be played with, or thrown. Any student to make a mess will be responsible for clearing it immediately. Failure to do so will result in either the loss of twenty house points, or one week's detention. Any attempts to initiate or participate in a "food fight" will result in the loss of fifty house points, and a maximum of three weeks detention. Any extra curricular activities will be suspended for an undetermined time period._

Remembering the scene fondly, I chuckle softly as Draco and I enter the kitchen.

Blaise and Harry look up smiling from their cereal, knowing far too much. Seeing the twinkle in Harry's eye, I shudder. That boy has been spending far too much time with Dumbledore.

"Ah the honeymoon-faze." Blaise says winking in my direction. "I remember the day's."

In response, I stick out my tongue, and smack the back of his head.

"Ou, how very mature." He says sarcastically. But before I could comment Draco responds.

"You _remember_ the days?" he raises an eyebrow, "I see you too are still up here."

"Oh we'll always be in the honeymoon-faze." Harry grins.

"Yeah, we're adorable." Blaise continues.

"Oh sure. Adorable pains in the ass." I say with a grin.

Gasping, Blaise places a hand over his heart. "_Language_ Miss. Granger!"

"Oh, _ass" _I enunciate slowly. "Is an _English_ word. Formally it means a donkey; informally it means a foolish or aggravating person. It can also be used as slang for your hinny." I say in a perfect schoolteacher tone.

"You'd think it'd be a French word." Luna said as she and Neville walk into the kitchen. Hopping on a chair at the table she started reading a cereal box. Meanwhile, the rest of us just gave her an odd look waiting for her to continue. Just when I was about to ask, she explains, "You know, because people are always saying _excuse my French_."

"Yeah, well. You know the French."

Looking up from his breakfast Blaise says, "No, not really."

"Oh, well the swear _a lot._ When a survey was conducted to see who swore the most: Britain, America, or Canada. Canada won by a landslide because of the Quebecers."

"Wow, you really do know everything." Draco says smirking.

"And don't you forget it." I bat my eyelashes sweetly. Suddenly the bell rings signaling class is about to start.

"Shit! I'm going to be late for muggle studies."

"Ugh," I groan.

"What?" Blaise asks.

"I already learned about muggle history, and seeing as I grew up in that world, I know the culture! The class is _so _boring."

"But you don't have to go." Harry said laughing.

"Yeah I do, the…" I cut of remembering that the pull broke last night. Smiling I say "Oh yeah!"

Running through the common room with a book bag slung over his shoulder, Draco quick gives me a peck on the lips and runs out of the room. Luna and Neville soon follow, to make it to their divination class.

Well at least Draco hadn't taken _that_ class. I don't think Sybil would have survived two weeks with me in her class, not after third year.

Looking to Blaise and Harry I say, "So…this is what it's like to have a free-period."

~~ Out side the great Hall~~

**Daphne POV**

"Where do you think everyone was?" I ask Terry. We'd just parted ways with Pansy and Ron who'd both taken divination with Luna and Neville.

"Oh you mean all the _couples_. I wonder what they were doing." He says sarcastically. I smack his arm as he starts laughing at my naivety.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. Oh wait!" I say, remembering I'd been meaning to ask about something for a while now. "Your on the Ravenclaw quidditch team, right?"

"Yeah." He said.

"Perfect, Ms. Hooch talked to me about flying requirements, and graduation. Long story short, I need someone to teach me how to fly."

"Wouldn't Harry be a better teacher? Or Malfoy? Their better flyers than I am," suddenly realizing what he'd said Terry holds his hands up. "Don't tell Draco I said that, he'll hold it over me for the rest of my life."

"I won't tell him if you teach me." I negotiate, ever the Slytherin. "Besides, Harry's always with Blaise, and Draco and Hermione just got into a relationship… please help me out." I say pulling the puppy dog eyes, and pouting my lip just a little.

"Okay, one condition." He paused. "You have to promise you won't fall in love with me."

Chuckling softly, I crack a grin. "Confident in yourself are ya?"

Shrugging his shoulder he steps around me, "Take it or leave it."

"Deal." I shout, chasing after him.

~~Divination Room~~

**Ron POV**

When I'd realized Harry hadn't taken this course too, I'd almost dropped it. But I'd already have to go the first day, and Pansy and I ended up sitting beside each other.

She was really good at this stuff. And, surprisingly, she was very nice. Well, to me. She wasn't exactly "Miss. Friendly" to the other people in the class. Then again she's only ever as nasty to someone as they are to her.

Like the time Lavender made a passing comment on her appearance.

_First day of school_

_"I wonder what it's like to be so ugly, no one can look at you?" lavender said mockingly while passing Pansy and I's desk._

"_At least _I _don't have to pay guys to sleep with me." She replied callously. _

_I put my hand up by my mouth to try and hide my reaction. When I started shaking with mirth, I shoved my fist in my mouth to keep from actually laughing out loud. _

"_You think this is funny?" Lavender glared at me. Her face turned uncharacteristically purple, and I started laughing so hard I couldn't keep my fist in my mouth. Tears sprung up in my eyes blocking my vision, and I replayed the image of her face, contorted with fury, again and again. Now I understand why everyone laughs so much harder when I turn red. It's fucking hilarious._

"_I can see where the confusion might be coming in. Because when _you_ laugh, you look like a dying pig-whale. But yes, he is indeed laughing." Pansy said standing up._

_Seeing a fight was about to break out, I'd jumped up to hold Pansy back. As much as I want to see a catfight, I know Pansy will be upset if she can't visit Hermione in the hospitable. I noticed how close they got over the games, and I wondered if their magic had touched. It didn't happen often, hell there hasn't been report of it in history since the Founders of Hogwarts. Deciding to keep to my own business I let the matter drop._

_Once Lavender leaves, huffing about how I'd betrayed her again, I turned to Pansy. "Nice job."_

"_Ha," she says smiling again. "Years of practice."_

A commotion just behind me jerked me out of thought. Realizing I'd been starring at Pansy for some time, I take a second to hope she didn't notice.

"Wait Neville." Luna shouts. Looking back, I just barley catch a glimpse of Neville storming out of the class, and Luna following quickly. Looking back the their table, I notice Professor Trelawney looking around with her large doe eyes, seeming confused.

~~Divination Room~~

**Luna POV**

"What do you have in your cups?" Professor Trelawney asked, surprising Neville, but I could smell her perfume as she'd approached.

"A sun." I said smiling.

"You always do." She smiled. I always found it difficult to tell if she liked me. Most people would say that in a humoring manner. But Prof. T, she was just as 'dreamy' as me. I couldn't tell if she was sincerely or being rude.

Turning to Neville she asks, "How about you?"

"Um." He said uncertainly, switching between starring intently at his cup, to intently at his textbook.

"Can I take a look?" She asked kindly holding out her hands. He handed her the mug and she nodded instantly. "The symbols are on top of one another." She said showing him the cup. "This right here, is a divide in the road ahead. Alone it would say you are about to come to a crossroads. But this line intersecting it, suggests something in your way."

Neville sighs and closes his book, "Great." He said sarcastically.

"If I were to interpret this, I would say: When given choices you are unable to decide, and will most likely stick on the path your on out of comfort, even when the path runs out." She said, holding out the cup to him.

Standing up, Neville knocks the book off the table and storms out of the classroom.

"Neville wait!" I shout jumping up after him. Racing down the stairs I catch him just before the he got to the hall. Grabbing his arm I turn him around to face me. "Hey." I said out of breath.

"Hey." He answers with a monotone voice.

"Is this about your secret?" I ask. "About having doubts?"

"How do you know?" He asks getting nervous.

"Power of elimination, it wasn't that hard." Taking a step down so I'm eye level with him, I rest a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong, what are these doubts about?"

"Everything!" He shouts. "I doubt everything!" He says again, somewhat calmer. "It used to just be my magic, I mean I've always sucked. And sure during the war I got some confidence, but it really hasn't improved _that much_. But then I started to doubt my parents, how strong were they if they couldn't hold out. And I doubted my grandmothers love when she finally gave it." The hole time he'd been looking at the floor, but now he put his hand on my shoulder, and looked me in the eyes. "Sometime I doubt us, our relationship."

Feeling my heart squeeze I took a step up to get some distance. My hand was still on his shoulder, and my face, remained mostly passive, while just a little sad. He continued on, unhindered. "Sometimes I doubt if I really love you, and if this is even going anywhere." My breathing heavies, but I don't let him see that he's stamping on my heart. Instead I just nod my head, and pat his shoulder.

"It's okay Neville. You need to focus on yourself, figure out what you want in life. And to be honest, so do I." That was a lie. I knew what I wanted, I wanted to fall in love and get a house in the country, where I can do experiments and hunt for magical creatures. I'd always feared ending up like my mum, but I also knew it was the only life I'd really love. But I swore to never repeat _one thing_. I would never be with someone out of convenience. I didn't want to be in a relationship and get married just becasue it was the next step.

"Luna I _do_ care about you, I don't want to lose you."

"You won't _lose _me" I assured. "But I don't want to be with someone who isn't even sure if wants _this_. I'll always be your friend, and I'd never abandon you, but i think we need some space."

Walking past him, I refuse to turn when I hear him punch the wall. I keep walking, unsure if I'll make it back to my room before my emotions start tumbling out. For God's sakes, I survived months in the Malfoy's dungeons without cracking, and one break-up is about to make my cry my eyes out? What the hell is this?

~~Common room~~

**Hermione POV**

Harry and Blaise had left about twenty minutes ago to walk around the lake. I realized it was the first time in two week I'd been alone, _and_ that I haven't had a solid workout for that time. I dug out some sweats and went for a jog to warm up. The weather was perfect. The sun was up, and it soaked in my skin, making me feel warm. But it was also early enough to be somewhat cold. I did two laps of the school (it's a big fucking school), and then a made my way to the lake. I couldn't see Blaise or Harry, so I whipped off my top and pants, so I was just wearing a sports bra, and boy-shorts. Diving in I swam out to the 'island'. It was a square floating dock that served as a buoy, before the waters were too dangerous to swim through. I did a few laps, before checking the time.

I knew I had a double free period this morning, and then it was lunch, but I didn't want to still be swimming when lunch started.

First period had ended, and I conjured a towel to dry off. Wandering back to the school, I hear someone screaming at the Quidditch pitch.

Looking over I see someone flying erratically, while another person trails behind them shouting instructions.

"JUST KEEP YOU HANDS STILL!" Terry shouted.

Hm, I wonder who he's teaching how to fly. Maybe I should help.

"NO SHIT! WHAT DO YOU THINK – AHHHH!" I laughed when I recognized Daphne's voice. Awe, the poor girl hated flying more than I did.

Thinking back to the day Hooch had approached me about needing a flying certificate to graduate, I thank my lucky stars that I'd been able to convince her riding Buckbeck should count as flying. At least on him, I'm not actually in control of the flying, so it _looks_ smooth, even if I'm dying on the inside. I'd suggest Daphne do the same thing, but I think she would just scare Buckbeck, or god forbid, rip out one of his feathers.

Yeah, it's probably better to let Terry handle that situation.

Heading through the halls, I notice Harry and Blaise kissing in an alcove. Not for the first time do I wonder, how the hell they ever keep their relationship a secret?

~~Common rooms~~

**Hermione POV**

When I got back to the common room, Luna was rummaging through the refrigerator.

"Hey what's up? I thought you had double-divination today?"

"Um, yeah. I left early." Turning around Luna's eyes were puffy and red. She had tear tracks down her cheeks, and her voice sounded scratchy.

"What happened?" I asked, as I rushed over to make sure she was okay. Did someone attack her? What the fuck is going on? Luna's always been the toughest girl I know. She didn't even cry when she'd been kidnapped, and held hostage for half a year.

"Neville and I broke up."

Looking down at her hands I noticed she was holding a container of frozen yogurt. I grabbed two spoons and we walked over to the couch. Repeating my earlier question, I ask, "What happened?"

~~Gryffindor Common Room~~

**Third Person POV**

Neville and Ginny, were passionately making-out. She'd come to the commons to grab a book, and had seen Neville bent over with his head in his hands. They got to talking, and eventually got to starring deeply into the others eyes, then suddenly, they were kissing. It wasn't the embrace of two people in love, but rather the necessity for closeness. They felt starved and ravaged each other. Pretty soon he picked her up, and they went to the girls dormitory.

Luckily for them, the gossip hounds of the school weren't there.

Lavender, who usually snuck up there for some "private time" had ended up in the same hall Hermione passed down. She'd seen Harry and Blaise, and decided to forgo her normal routine, to spread the news.

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**Hope you enjoyed! R&R - Do it! Do it now!**


	12. When Games Don't End - Part Two

**Authors notes**

**Hello again! So this is part two! Don't worry, the mystery is just around the corner, but I had to add this in before things got harry.**

**I do not own HP, yet. Fingers crossed right? Ah well, hope; breeds eternal misery.**

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Wen Games Don't End – Part Two

**Third person** **POV **~~ 11 PM Common room

The gang got together that night to play a game of strip poker. The girls thought it'd be a fun way to let lose, and get Luna's mind off her breakup. They'd considered making it an all girls night thing, but Daphne had raised the good point of: "Where's the fun in that?"

Blaise and Luna were the big winners tonight. Luna was using all her accumulated knowledge of her opponents: Pansy would breath through her nose when she had a bad hand, and threw her mouth when she had a good one. Luna had been quick to figure this out, from watching the girl pick on her classmates in their younger years. Whenever Pansy has the upper hand, she gets excited and breaths threw her mouth, but when someone had her beat, she'd get frustrated and breath threw her nose to relax.

Ron was always too much of a chess player. He didn't bet on a bluff, and he seemed good enough at reading the other, to not lose many clothes. He'd lost his tie to Harry, and his shirt to Blaise, but he had been able to win them both back, a few rounds later. He'd also been able to win Pansy's bra, and had given it back like a gentlemen. They'd shared a blush during that moment, but Pansy had had the good sense to not let herself redden further, when we all "awe'd" them.

Harry always fixed his hair when he bluffed, and Draco would rub the scar on his right arm. Daphne would run her finger across the edge of her glass, and Terry would organize, and re-organize his cards when his hand wasn't top notch.

Hermione was a whole mess of signals, and she didn't appear to be very good with her cards. She was quickly losing all her clothes, and soon enough she was in her nickers. They were surprisingly sexy, black lace overs a light pink. They really emphasized her boobs and butt, and they sowed off the slightest love handles.

When Draco had first seen her in her undergarments, he'd chocked on his drink then proceeded to lose big.

The only real competition for Luna was Blaise. She _swore_ there were times his hand was crap, but then all of a sudden, he'd win big.

"So, Granger." Pansy said grinning at Hermione's misfortune. "It would seem poker's not your game." At Hermione's glare, she continued, "Maybe you should have spent your summers playing cards instead of practicing beer pon."

"It was _one_ summer, and I'm not as bad as I seem." She said defensively.

At that Draco started laughing like a hyena. "I'm not!"

"I'm sorry darling, but you suck." He responded with a few chuckles.

"Really? Well I want a do-over." She waved her wand and six thousand dollars worth of chips appeared in front of everyone's place. "And _darling_" she says somewhat menacingly. "Just between you and me, lets make things more interesting."

Raising an eyebrow with supreme confidence Draco flashes a smile and says, "What did you have in mind?"

"Loser…" she tilted her head clucking her tongue. "Streaks."

Smiling wide he holds out a hand. "Deal."

"Deal." She says just as coolly.

Picking up the deck, she does an aerial shuffle, followed by cutting the deck in half, and doing symmetrical cuts in each hand. Finally she shuffles the cards together, all the while, maintaining eye contact with Draco. She expertly deals the cards, and blows Draco a kiss.

"What was that?" He asked.

"What? Slytherin's haven't heard of a con?" She grinned.

Within the next two hours, Harry, Daphne, Terry, Pansy and Ron had lost all their chips.

It was down to Luna, Blaise, Draco and Hermione. Hermione had the biggest stack of chips, Blaise and Luna tied, not too far behind. But Draco's pile was dwindling quickly.

Luna and Draco had both folded, but Hermione and Blaise were sizing each other up. Feeling confident he was bluffing, Hermione pushed all her chips to the center of the table. "All in."

Blaise knew he'd lose a large chunk of his earnings if he backed down now. Subtly switching a few cards under the table, he pushed his chips into the deck as well. Hermione gave a disbelieving look, and an eyebrow raise.

"What? Want to back out?" He asked.

"Hell no." She smirked, putting down three aces, to play with the fourth on the table.

"Good, cause you can't." He said laying down a straight flush on the table.

After a moments shock, Draco leapt from his seat. "YES!"

"NOOOOOO!" She shouted like she'd just watched someone die.

"Ha! Hahahahahaha." Draco said doing a jig round the room.

Still looking disbelievingly at the table, Hermione repeated "No, nononononononono." Before getting a glint in her eye. Looking up she glared at Blaise. She _knew_ he'd cheated.

She had suspected that he was doing so every now and again during the game, but know she _knew_.

"Nope." She said louder to get Draco's attention; who was currently working on a rendition of Hallelujah.

"Oh yes. Oh yes." He said, quite pleased with himself.

"Nope. I still have one chip." She said setting her face.

"No you don't." He laughed.

"Oh really?" She asked, reaching into her bag and pulling out an envelope. "Then what's this?" Tapping the envelope against the palm of her hand. She waltzed over to Draco and made to hand it to him. Just as he reached out a hand to grab it, she pulled it away smirking. "You said you wanted to play for it." She continued.

At this his mouth dropped open, he'd forgotten about the picture. He'd been hoping she was bluffing about taking the photo of him and Neville, but now he was sure she did it.

"So let's play." She said, shrugging her shoulders innocently. "It's the best chance you got of getting it back."

"Fine." His jaw was locked, and his posture rigid.

"Dude, she lost! Don't push your luck." Blaise said.

"What? Do you wanna back out?" I asked mockingly. "It's okay if you do. I know I would if I only won cause I'm a big fat cheater." I said sweetly.

Gasping, Blaise puts his hand to his heart. "How?" He said dramatically wiping at his eye. "Could you say such an awful thing about me?... Cheating, pht." He said before shaking his head.

"So you want in? To prove you're not a cheater." Hermione said walking over to him.

Recognizing the challenge, and realizing people would know if he refused, he accepted with his jaw as tense as Malfoy's had been moments earlier, "Fine."

"Wonderful." Grabbing the deck and a marker off the coffee table, she made a large dash on each card. "Just so there are no more switches."

Luna smirked knowing what Hermione was planning. She slides her tokens over to Hermione and acts as the dealer -she wasn't betting against her. Hermione continued to wipe the floor with the boys and in no time it's the last hand. Everyone's all-in, winner takes all, and the losers streak Hogwarts.

In front of the dealer (Luna), there is the Queen and nine of spades, the seven and ace of hearts, and a two of clubs. Hermione was grinning as she put her cards –face down- on the table before looking into each of their eyes. "Hmm lets see." She said clicking her tongue. "You," she pointed to Draco, "Have the nine of clubs and…" she said tilting her head to the side. "The nine of diamonds." She smiled at his expression, but before he could comment she turned to Blaise. "And you have… a full house." She said closing her eyes, "Ten's over two's."

The boys turned over their cards to reveal exactly as she'd predicted. Grinning widely, she flipped over her cards to reveal, a full house of "Queens over three's. Oh well. Maybe next time."

"You count cards!" Blaise shouted. "_That's_ cheating."

"Is being good at math _really_ cheating?"

"YES!" They both shouted.

"Well then next time… don't bet against me." She smirked. "Stripe boys."

With mumbled complaints, the boys stripped confidently. Blaise puffed out his chest when Pansy and Harry catcalled him. As Draco dropped his shorts Luna tilted her head sideways to get a better look.

"Hmmmm, Hermione" she said appreciatively, "Your certainly gunna get full off _that_."

"Luna!" Hermione gasped turning a brilliant red.

"Oh no, I think she's right." Daphne said stepping closer trying to measure Draco's anatomy in regards to her wand. He stood still not sure how to reacte to a situation like _this._ "I mean really…"

"Okay! That's quite enough!" Hermione said scrambling to cover her boyfriends member.

"Thank you darling." Draco whispered seductively in her ear. He may not have been overly happy with the general situation. But a guy could get used to compliments and a protective/if not slightly possessive girlfriends.

Hermione was standing in front of him, when all of a sudden she felt a poking against her butt. "Okay! Time for your run; Let's go, let's go!" She shouted, and started shooing them out of the room. "Oh and by the way. I've got a camera that'll follow you two on your journey. For us to watch later."

The boys didn't get back for another twenty minutes, and when they did they were shivering themselves to death. Hermione summoned the camera she'd enchanted to record them, and they put it on a big screen for everyone to watch.

The best part, by far, was when Peeves caught sight of them, and almost passed out from screaming. Which created a lot of noise, and brought McGonagall half an inch away from catching them by the kitchens. Unfortunately, one of the elves _did_ catch them; the poor things eyes grew to the size of saucers.

By the end everyone had had their fair share to drink, and decided to hit the hay before they ended up doing something stupid like the those two.

Well, everyone except Hermione and Draco. They both stayed on the couch laughing and talking for another hour, before they fell asleep in each other's arms.

~~The next morning~~

**Hermione POV**

"Aweeeee." Pansy gushed loudly from the kitchens, where she was pouring her Hangover remedy into three glasses.

My eyes remained squinted against the light, as I tried to get my barring's. Leaning down I kissed Malfoy's eyes; like magic the drifted open, and I was graced with a real knock-your-heart-out-and-trample-it-with-a-horde-of-bulls-cause-your-a-gonner, kind of smile.

Continuing to make a ruckus in the kitchen, Pansy drew the attention of the couple on the couch. "And here I thought, we were done with waking up on the couch."

At that we both smiled at each other, "Your right Pansy." I said before we ran to the kitchen and picked Pansy up to throw her on the couch.

"We really should have invited you." Draco said, as we sat on top of the girl, and proceeded to tickle her to death.

"AHH!" She shouted before dissolving into a fit of giggles. "Mer-Hahahahaha. M-hmm. M-erh-her-her-her-her-sss."

"I'm sorry what was that?" I asked cupping my right ear.

"MERCY!" She shouted. "Mercy, mercy, mercy!"

By the time all the shouting was finished, most of the Common room had woken up. Ron had rushed by, in a panic, when he heard shouting. He soon relaxed when he realized it was a tickle fight, not a death eater attack.

Blaise and Harry had been thinking along similar lines, and rushed out of their shower, to see what all the commotion was about. And seeing them, I have to wonder what they thought they were going to do with nothing more then the towels around their waists.

Daphne had had the good sense to grab her wand, and a throwing knife. Huh? I wonder how long she's been carrying _that_ with her.

Terry had thought like Daphne and grabbed his wand when he came racing out. But much like Blaise and Harry, he wasn't wearing much: just his boxers and a pair of socks.

The real outlier was Luna, who'd come skipping around the bend smiling unconcerned about the shouting.

Draco and I let Pansy out of her prison, and she filled six more glasses of potion for everyone. At once we plugged our noses and took a drink. Instantly the nausea settled and I felt starved for food.

"Please tell me the great hall will still be serving breakfast." Ron said cradling his stomach.

Checking my watch I saw that it was 12:10 PM. "Actually, it's lunch."

"I _missed_ a _meal_." Ron said.

Feigning seriousness I braced my hands against the table, "I _know right_, this is _horrifying._"

"Don't joke with me about food." Ron said shaking his head.

I put my hands up defensively as a sign of surrender. "Well, are we going to spend lunch standing about like idiots, or are we going to eat?"

Not even sparing a glance back, Ron sped out of the room.

Pansy was the only other one dressed, so she raced off with him. The rest of us got dressed and made our way down soon after.

* * *

**Third person POV**

The gang had been in the hall for nearly a half hour when Cho Chang and a group of nameless Ravenclaw's walked up to them. Grabbing a glass of orange juice in each hand, Cho dumped the contents of the glasses over Harry and Blaise's heads.

Everyone, and by everyone I mean the approximate seventeen students in the hall, became deadly silent as his or her attention turned to the scene. Blaise's hand automatically went for his wand, but Draco held him off.

As if summoned by a silent alarm McGonagall and Snape rushed into the great hall. Upon entering McGonagall put her hand up to stop Snape, and whispered for him to wait, so The Culprit couldn't say she was about to clean it up…

Harry was the first to stand. He did so slowly, like approaching a defensive deer. When he was facing Cho, he was met with a shaking and clearly peeved girl. "So…what seems to be the problem?"

"Ugh" she shouts stomping her foot like a petulant child. "Your gay!?"

At this everyone at the table stood up, but Harry waved them off. "If this is about when we were going out in fifth year, I didn't know. Well, I guess I kind of always knew, but I didn't _know_."

Cho's face twisted and she hissed, "Don't talk about that," before Harry could continue. "What your doing is _wrong._ It's unnatural! It's – "

"Are. You. _Fucking._ Kidding me?" Hermione shouted, causing the few spectators in the hall to gasp in shock. Although her roommates had grown used to her occasional swearing, the general population of Hogwarts considered her a "goodie-goodie", which made no sense to Hermione. It wasn't like she actually went a full year, or term that matter, without breaking at least _one_ of the rules.

"We just fought a God-Damned _war_ – "

"Don't say God's name in vain." Cho interrupted.

"Oh shove it you ugly bat." Pansy spoke up from Hermione's side. "You know just as well as I do who's going to win here."

"Yes, God will. The bible says –"

Hermione lost it. She thought about all the wars that had been fought over religion. Over one-person twisting words of comfort, into a siren call for war. They were standing on graves of the dead, where the ghost of a war had been fought not even a full year ago. And it was all over thoughts and actions _just like that_.

In one second, all the dead flashed threw Hermione's eyes and she couldn't take it. She snapped.

Using wandless and wordless magic she sent the girl flying across the room and left a crater in the wall.

Cho's followers screamed and ran behind the professors. "Professor, professor, she's wild!"

Walking forward with her chin in the air, McGonagall stopped in front of Hermione and gave her a severe glare. When Hermione looked down, she turned her head and addressed the screaming teens. "I didn't see a thing."

"WHAT! She threw her through a wall!"

Turning to Severus, McGonagall asked, "Did you see anything."

He smirked slightly before shrugging his shoulders, "Not a thing," and walked off to levitate the girl to the infirmary.

Assured that the situation had been handled, McGonagall stormed off to her chambers before she lost her cool.

* * *

All the while Dumbledore watched threw the looking glass in his office.

_Hmm, _he thought. _Minerva and Severus really do work well together. It's too bad they've never been anything more than friends. They're both so lonely, and they even each other out perfectly._

_If only Minerva was interested in men._

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**Hope you've enjoyed. ****R&R13 ****or/ read (reviewXreviewXreviewXreview XreviewXreview****Xreview****Xreview****Xreview****Xreview****Xreview****Xreview****Xreview)= Happy Writer!**


	13. When Games Change

**Authors notes**

**Hello! So sorry it's been awhile since I posted. I have every intention of posting at least one tomorrow, maybe two. If I feel like being nice.**

**I do not in any way own HP. Such sadness is this fact, but we'll survive.**

* * *

When Games Change

**Hermione POV**

After the incident in the cafeteria people around school, quickly turned to fear me. I wasn't punished, which I was grateful for at first, but now I think is the cause for their worry. They all think I was let off the hook for my status, and I heard a few people muttering profanities about _that_, and so everyone believes that I can do whatever I want and won't be punished.

McGonagall had been harassed left and right about the issue, until on night she just about snapped.

_I will not have a bunch of IGNORANT students tell me how to handle MY OWN! I was there! Were you? NO, I didn't think so!" She stood from her post in transfiguration class, sent out one long death glare and continued. "I want a four foot essay on the dangers of transfiguring blood for potion ingredients. __On my desk. Tomorrow."_

After that she'd stormed out of the class, and no one bothered her again. Though I'm still not sure if _that_ was the reason the mumbles stopped, or if it was the new "trend" Peeves was enjoying.

All week, Peeves has been terrifying, and lets face it; permanently traumatizing, the students of Hogwarts. Apparently, the eternal jokester had decided to steal Draco and Blaise's streak act..

At random points through the day he'd pull down his pants and fly through the halls. At one point, Luna mentioned that he was mooning, not streaking, and so he quickly changed his tactic to float fully nude. It would seem, he didn't understand that was supposed to be embarrassing for _him_. Then again, he is a ghost, so what does he have to lose?

Suffice it to say, when people start screaming in a hall; close your eyes and look the other way.

Unfortunately, the teachers didn't have that option. They are required to cheek out all suspicious activity, and file a report. This has left a lot of very peeved teachers, whose only way to release tension is to assign deadly amounts of homework. At first there was a great deal of complaining, but that had the nasty habit f pissing them off more, so now we just stay back and do the work, praying to Merlin that all this nonsense will end soon.

It was on a night where we'd all spent five solid hours under piles of homework, that we decided we really needed a break. We'd all gotten dressed up, and snuck down to the shrieking shake. The boys went to Hogsmeade to grab some booze, and of course _some_ meant enough for us all to die of alcohol poisoning, but hell, we really needed this break.

The girls and I stayed back and cleaned up the joint. We aired it out, got some lighting and speaker spells set up. I went around and did the same spells the boys and I had used while on the run. To anyone who could see the shake, it would look just as silent as ever, but in reality the place would be hopping tonight. We'd invited everyone from our year, and a few from years below, to have a party. It was Thursday night after all.

At the stroke of midnight, the party was in full swing. The majority of us were well beyond wasted, and there was some suspicious bumping, that was _not_ coming from the music. But that didn't matter. Worries and problems were for the morning; tonight we just needed some fun.

And boy was it fun. The boys had surprised us by dragging in a mechanical bull, and I don't want to know how or where they got it. I made the mistake of going a round on that after the keg, though. I wasn't thrown, but damn if I wasn't so dizzy I was blind.

It's now six in the morning. We haven't slept, and we could see the sun starting to rise on the horizon. Most of the students have left to sneak back into the school, hours earlier. We'd set up three points in the night where people could hustle back in, without being caught. It had taken some subtly tweaks to the monitoring schedule, and a lot of bribes to the heads this year (a Gryffindor in Ginny's year, Evelyn. And a Hufflepuff named Jody).

The last shift was at four AM, but we'd all decided to stay and make a night of it. Well except Neville, who'd decided to go back to Gryffindor tower with Ginny, which had lead to Ron momentarily losing his shit.

_Neville and Ginny had been packing some serious heat, all evening; it's a wonder Ron hadn't seen sooner. When he'd first entered with his arm around her shoulders, I'd thought the biggest problem would be with Luna. But she'd been genuinely happy for them. _

_According to her, the "possessiveness" that appears in most relationships, was never a factor with them. She'd thought it was because they trusted each other enough to know the other wouldn't cheat, but now she thought it might have been a sign that the passion was lacking. _

_Either way, she'd been cool with it, and had actually been dancing rather closely with Derek, a fellow Ravenclaw she'd always been close to._

_Not too far away from them, was where Neville and Ginny had been practically grouping each other. They were dancing and drinking just like the rest of us, but they danced a bit more feverishly. They packed a certain kind of heat and need for each other. _

_I'll admit, it certainly changed the atmosphere of the room. Everyone was feeling a tad hornier and grabbier tonight. And at times the music was so sexy that Draco and I had displayed a significant amount PDA as well, so there was no judgments here._

_And that's what made it so perplexing. How had Ron just missed it all? _

_But if I were a betting girl, which I am, I'd stock it up to a certain dark haired wonder._

_Pansy -decked out in a pair of midnight black skinny jeans that accentuated her curves perfectly- had Ron wrapped around her tiny finger. Ron hasn't been able to tear his eyes away from her all night. And I could tell she loved the attention, it was all over her face. _

_They were in the middle of a conversation when Neville and Ginny walked by. Ron must have heard a snippet of their conversation, because in less than two seconds his face changed from slight flush, to deep purple. _

_Everyone's attention was caught when he started yelling, but no one thought to play mediator, until after the first punch was thrown. _

_Ron's arm pulled back, but Neville stood firm. He took the hit. rubbed his jaw and nodded. "I deserved that, she's your sister."_

_Ron pulled his arm back for a second hit, but Ginny beat him to it with an uppercut to his nose. After that we all jumped forward, not that we were needed. Ginny's retaliation had managed to sober Ron up enough to get control over himself. _

_No apologies were said, just gentle glares in warning. When the two left, the celebrations quickly fired up, all hostilities forgotten. _

Other than that, the night had gone smoothly, and now we were all surrounding a makeshift campfire. Derek had summoned a guitar and was playing random tunes; we could all sign along to.

It was during the song _The Only Exception_ by Paramore when the night quickly, and truly, went south.

_When I was younger _

_I saw my daddy cry and curse at the wind_

_He broke his own heart _

_And I watched as he tried to re-assemble it._

I started off softly, the only one to sing. No one else had heard the song before, well besides Derek, who'd already made it clear he wasn't a singer.

_And my momma swore_

_That she would never l__et herself forget_

_And that was the day that I promised_

_I'd never sing of love_

_If it does not exist_

I continued to sing, gaining confidence. I stood up and walked over to where Derek was sitting. I'd been looking into the fire during the verse, but as it came to a close I couldn't help lifting my head and making eye contact with Draco.

_But darling _

_You are the only exception_

_You are the only exception_

_You are the only exception_

_You are the only exception_

My eyes fell on his instantly, comfortably. They melted into his stare and I felt myself being lost in those pools of molten silver. I could feel myself being swept away with the song, like the sea had taken me into her arms. Like the moon was pulling the tides just to rock me into this glorious peace. And the water and moon was somehow _him_.

It was like, all the beauty of the ocean and the land, and the trees, or stones. The millions of stars in the sky, and the magic of the forest, and the magic of our lives, all seemed to bring me back to _him_, and if that's not love, then I don't want it. I don't want anything other than this, right here. This stare, into those eyes, this peace, this promise that seems to be happening right now. This ripple, and building of pressure in my stomach as my eyes tie with his.

_Well maybe I know_

_Somewhere _

_Deep in my soul that love never lasts_

_And we've got to find other ways_

_To make it alone_

_Or keep a strait face_

The words came out of my voice strong in their certainty, but soft with their secrets. I had seen people be pulled apart in the muggle world, time and time again. People who'd grown up on the fiction of love, the grandeur of its myth's.

People who thought having that passion would be all they need to have a happily ever after, and when the problems came, they'd give up. They'd get a divorce, and most certainly end up hating each other. It really is a fine line between love and hate.

_And I've always lived like this _

_Keeping it comfortable_

_Distance_

_And up until now I had sworn to myself _

_That I'm content, with loneliness _

_Cause none of it was ever worth the risk_

_Well you are the only exception_

_You are the only exception_

_You are the only exception_

_You are the only exception_

Draco had smiled one of those rarer smiles. The ones I'd learned were only ever meant for me. The one that showed just the slightest of dimples, that feel like a secret; just between us.

When he smiled _that_ smile, I knew he was wearing his heart on his sleeve.

_I've got a tight grip on reality_

_But I can't _

_Let go of what's in front of me here_

_I know your leaving in the morning when you wake up – _

Before I could finish, _it_ happened. The fall. It seemed to come about so suddenly, but happened so slowly. One second the world was fine, and the next thing I know everything is off camber.

Everyone jumped up, as my heart seemed to slow impossibly.

How odd. It could be so frantic one second and the next it nearly stops. I measured it, the time it took. Three beats. Three beats for Draco to collapse.

Beat one. The last note played by the guitar hung in the air. It seemed so shrill all of a sudden. So inappropriately present, among the silence.

Beat two. The fire springs in the wind; it reaches out desperately, like it too wants to find him. The molten eyes I'd been starring into are gone, they roll into his skull, and foam emerges from his mouth.

Beat three. I leap over the fire, and catch his head before it meats the ground. Instantly I pull him into my arms and lift him.

After that it was all blurs, and movement. Pouring this or that down his throat, answering questions on command, getting out of Madame Pomfrey's way, getting out of Professor Snape's way. Questions. Answers. Beat one, beat two, beat three. Music, fire, infirmary. Beats one and two, and questions, and answers.

Questions and answers.

Answers?

Answers.

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**Hope you've enjoyed! R&R. ****And review and review and review and REVIEW!**


	14. When Games Take What's Ours

**Authors notes**

**Hello! Let me just say; BumBumBummmmm!**

**I do not own HP**

* * *

When Games Take What's Ours

**Hermione POV**

I cannot believe I'm skipping classes. This is not something I _do_. I'm a good, responsible, student.

And well, I guess I _am_ skipping to do research in the library. But never mind that.

After Draco had fallen, we'd had exactly five minutes during the scramble to the castle, to figure out what the hell was going on.

_I gathered Draco in my arms, and stood up ready to make a break for it. Damn, he was heavier than I expected. When Harry had been injured at Godric's Hallow I had to carry him, and he had seemed so much lighter. That said, we'd all probably been much lighter that time of year, we hadn't exactly been eating right._

_Either way I only made it about ten steps, before I remembered I'm a witch and can levitate him. Putting him down to cast the spell, someone trips into me. _

_Suddenly the world came crashing down around me. I looked back to see Pansy and Ron had standing over Derek. She had her wand pressed steeply into his neck, and Ron was binding his hands behind his back. _

_Daphne and Terry were blocking Luna, who was doing a lot of pointing and reasoning. I couldn't really hear, but if I could, I'm sure I'd hear a lot of accusations about Derek poisoning Draco. From a quick glance it seemed Luna was insistent he didn't do anything, but really who else could/or _would_ have._

_Not having the patience for this I look to either side of me. Making eye contact with Harry and Blaise I say, "Let's go, we don't have time for this."_

_Casting the spell, I run threw the night, Draco's body floating inches in front of me. I'm suddenly grateful, the girls and I had taken the time to enlarge the passageway, so we could all walk threw comfortably._

"_Hermione do you see the foam?" Blaise asked._

_Looking down I realized it was a blue-ish tone. Damn it! Blue foam indicates a slow acting potion; this could have come from anything he drank for the past eight hours. It could have been anyone who'd come to the party. Fuck! _

"_Harry send a patronus to the others, tell them it might not have been Derek." I clip out. "Damn it!"_

_Harry started mumbling into a blue orb, suddenly it exploded into a stag and it sprinted back the way we came. Before I could ask, he sent another to Madame Pomfrey, so she'd be prepared when we got there._

"_Blaise start working on a list of everyone who came to the party, star anyone you saw lingering around him."_

_We ran for a few minutes. My breath was coming threw raggedly, and my mind was a whirl pool of thoughts, I couldn't make sense of any one thought, but more just kept screaming at me to pay attention. We were getting close to the castle when Blaise asked, "What are we going to say?" _

"_The truth of course." Harry responded._

"_No." I shook my head. At Harry's shocked expression I explained. "Think about it, we tell the professors what was really going on, then they're not going to let us help. They'll demand we tell them who was all there – "_

"_So what if we get in trouble! This is Malfoy's life. Someone tried to kill him." Harry reasoned. _

"_It's not that." Blaise picked up for me. "They'll have to interrogate everyone who was there, it'll take too long. It'll give the person who was there a chance to come up with a story…"_

_Picking up where he left off I continued. "The teachers will fumble around for a while, and then they'll have to call in the aurors; who will storm into the place demanding memories from all the students at the party. Parents will be contacted, and lawyers summoned, who all demand that the memories cannot be used against students. The red tape will be impossible to cut threw, and _if_ they ever do, it'll probably be too late. Look at what happened when we told the aurors about my letters. They searched around, found nothing, and every time we asked about a lead they'd brush us off like a couple of kids."_

_We decided to say that Draco had left to go flying, and had been gone for a few hours. When he came back he was fine, but this morning when we all got up to study, he collapsed. _

It had worked surprisingly well. Snape had given us a few skewed looks, but didn't say anything. The gang and I (including Neville and Ginny), had hoped we'd be able to figure out what the potion was.

We'd split in three groups. Harry, Ron, and Terry weren't much use researching, so the were working on the list. I'm not really sure how exactly they were going about it, but they'd managed to tick a fair amount of names off the list, so I left them to it.

Blaise, Luna, and I were the best researchers, so we spent the majority of the day working in the library. Luckily, after the potion that had burned me, the gang had taken excellent notes on the books they were reading. With that we were able to save ourselves hours of time from searching useless books. We'd also decided to skip the main library, and go straight to the restricted section.

The third group is the "floaters". Neville, Ginny, Daphne and Pansy, would rotate into and out of each "group". With this system, we'd been able to have on and off shifts to get a break, while still having work be done.

During off our off shifts we'd go to class, but we had all ended up skipping one or two. But we made sure to get to potions though; no one was willing to risk the wrath of Snape.

By the time classes had ended, we were all feeling pretty strung up. I knew Neville went down to the gardens during one of his off shits, I'd really needed a jog to clear my head, and I'd seen him as I passed. I'd also seen Ginny and Harry flying in the quidditch Pitch. I'm not sure what the others did, and frankly I'm not sure I care.

I spent most of my time checking in on Draco. Pomfrey said the potion had induced a coma, she wasn't sure if it would lift on it's own, or if the potioneer is the only one who can get him out.

Unfortunately, that hadn't actually helped narrow down the possibilities much. There were still two isles full of book that dealt with coma-induced potions. Luna and Pansy worked mostly with coma's that come off on their own, while Blaise and I worked on potions where the potioneer is necessary.

It was three in the morning. As of eight PM, most of us started to use the breaks for catnaps, but even still, we were running low on energy. Blaise had left fifteen minutes ago for a two hour break, when he came back it'd be my turn.

About couple minutes ago I'd heard Pansy say something about coffee, and I just wish she'd hurry the hell up. I was falling asleep on my feet, and since this was my alone shift I didn't have anyone to talk to, in order to stay awake. Granted, Luna was still in the other isle, but it was on the other side of the library so we couldn't really keep each other awake.

I'd just gotten to the end of _another_ promising book, with nothing to show for it. Come on!

I slammed the book closed and stood up. As I was putting the tome back, I heard something fall. My wand snapped out suddenly, and I did a sweep of my surroundings. I walked down a few isles, and came across Luna slumped over a book, dead asleep.

Deciding to let her rest, I walk over to my section again. When I get there, a book is lying on the ground face up. Walking over to get a closer view I catch the title.

_Chelidonium Miniscula_

_Anthelion Gregarious, a fourteenth century wizard, created this potion when his daughter fell in love with a centaur. Her father made this comatose potion to ensure that she would marry her intended, instead of running away as she'd planned._

_It is a slow acting potion on many accounts. It takes several hours before putting the victim to sleep, but when it does, only the potioneer can get the person out. While brewing the potion, one must whisper suggestions they wish the victim to carry out. As the victim rests, the suggestions will be whispered to them, in the hopes of effectively changing their mindset/ or opinion._

_This potion, although easier to make than most, is not recommended because it -_

I was cut off from the end by a stabbing pain in my back, as my whole body went stiff. I was flipped over by my assailant and gasped in shock. As my mouth was open, she used another spell to keep it that way. She walked forward and I sent her a glare in warning. Warning of what? I don't know. Not even I can cast a spell without talking or moving at all.

She grabbed a flask from her purse and poured it down my throat. It burned in a cold way, the potion made it difficult to see or hear anything, but I felt a pull in my stomach as I was transported away. How is that possible? Doesn't Hogwarts have barriers to keep from magically leaving without permission?

With that last thought, my mind went blank. I never felt myself appearing on a cement floor or the rats scurrying across my arms.

~~The Kitchens~~

**Third Person POV**

"Hey guys." Pansy said as she steeped threw the portrait.

Harry, Neville, and Ginny were all gathered around a table in the kitchens. The professors had chewed them up earlier for missing classes, and their privileges were revoked for the time being. Of course that didn't stop them, it just meant they were flying under the radar.

"I thought you were supposed to be catching some Z's" Pansy commented when Blaise came around the corner with a steaming mug in hand.

"I was going to, and then I had a thought." He said placing his mug on the table.

"Yeah?" Pansy said slowly in question.

"None of this makes sense. Whoever cast the spell had to know he'd be heavily guarded. They can't get to him, if that's what they wanted. The potion doesn't cause pain, Pomfrey said he was fine, so what's the point? Make him take a nap?"

Gasping sharply, Pansy turns on the spot and ran threw the portrait. Everyone follows quickly behind her, shocked by the sudden change.

"Pansy!" Blaise calls.

"You said it yourself." She shouts, darting around a corner, making a break for the library. Pansy fly's past a patrolling Snape, who quickly began chasing her along with the other.

Pansy continued her explanation, ignoring their new company. "Why put someone in a coma if they'll be guarded and you can't get to them?" They'd just turned another corner, and the entrance was finally in sight. "Unless it's not about the comatose person, but distracting the guards that have been in school."

Suddenly everyone remembered the agreement from when Hermione was in the infirmary.

_Hermione had just fallen asleep, the aurar's and teachers had been hashing out a safety plan. Two guards were to be on school premises at all times. One would be around Hermione, while the other would do perimeter sweeps. _

_Harry looked down at Hermione's face, and knew she wouldn't like being babysat. "She'll make a fuss about it if she knows."_

"_That hardly matters Mr. Potter, this is for her own good." Snape snapped._

"_I know, and I agree. But she'll be more likely to shake off a guard if they're around all the time. Its better if you just have someone working basic surveillance from a distance. If it seems like their meant to protect the student body, not specifically _her_, then she won't have a problem. And all the while, thats exactly what they'll be doing."_

When Draco had been poisoned, the guard was told to keep watch over the infirmary, in case anyone tried something.

Sprinting up the stairs the students came across a book sitting open on the floor. Pansy looked around, "Hermione?!" She shouted. Darting around a few isles she came across Luna, still sleeping.

Bending down Pansy shook Luna, but she wouldn't wake. "Luna?" Nothing.

Snape stepped forward, and laid her on the carpet. Opening Luna's mouth, Snape leaned forward to smell her breath. "Damn it. Sleeping draught."

Standing straight Severus sent two patronuses. The first was to alert Dumbledore, and the second to alert the guards.

Combing his fingers threw his hair, Harry summed up the events of today perfectly. "Well shit."

"I regret I must agree, Mr. Potter."

* * *

**Hope you've enjoyed! R&R**


	15. When Games are Scattered Pieces

**Authors Notes**

**I do not own HP. Enjoy!**

* * *

When Games Are Scattered Pieces

**Pansy POV**

My hand automatically reached to rub my back. It had started hurting while we'd been sprinting threw the halls but I hadn't paid much mind to it, I'd been too concerned to care. But now that we were all standing around doing nothing, it was all I could think about. Glancing up I noticed Ron starring at me intently. "What?" I whisper.

He gives me another long look, before shaking his head clear, "Nothing."

Blaise, who'd been standing just behind us, whispers "What's going on?"

We were all huddled in the back corner. Once the Headmaster, and aurar's, and professors had all gotten here, we'd been expected to stay out of the way and stay silent.

"I was just thinking about something…" Ron trailed off on a whisper.

"Well what is it." I whisper shouted, catching the attention of the adults.

"It's probably nothing." He said.

"What's nothing?" Susan Bones asked.

"That's the thing I'm not sure." Ron said giving me another long glance. "It's just…No, I'm sure you would have mentioned it." He shook his head and I had to resist the urge to strangle him.

Walking in front of him I drag his eyes away from the ground, and yell "WHAT! It's just what!?"

"I thought your magic had touched hers." He threw his hands up, answering as quickly as possible. "But you would have mentioned that when she went missing." He explains off handedly, as if he wasn't talking nonesense.

Magic touching? What the fuck is that? I waited a beat to see if he was joking, but he seemed serious. "What?"

"I said I thought your magic touched – "

"What the fuck is _magic touching_." My voice became somewhat mocking as I asked. But I couldn't help it; the whole thing just sounds ridiculous.

"You don't know what that is?" Blaise asked. Behind him, Harry looked just as confused as I am. Well at least I'm not the only one on the outs here. "No."

"When witches and wizards who'd been deeply connected in a past lives meet again their magic's reach out to one another. Normally it leads to great animosity. The souls are very rarely from the same side in a war. In each life the resentment grows stronger, but if the two can put their differences aside, then it leads to their magic touching." Ron explained quickly. "The connection is always present, and binds the two forever."

Ron grabbed my shoulders, as he got excited. I could practically see him vibrating as a smile started to spread across his face. "You could use your magic to find her."

"Hold on now, we don't even know if she has a magic connection to Hermione." Snape interjected, bringing everyone back to reality. "In fact the founders built in a system to warn the headmaster if any students magic touch. There haven't been any warnings, so clearly this is all a waste of time."

Dumbledore had been stroking his beard as the conversation unfurled. When Snape mentioned the 'warning' he looked up surprised. "Oh did I forget to mention that? Yes, yes I must have. Silly me." He smiled sparkly eyed. "Miss. Parkinson and Miss. Granger's magic touched during the games. Just after the third I believe." He started tapping his finger to his chin, and I thought back to that night.

It felt like years ago, but it was really just a few weeks ago, just less than a month. _Hermione held out her hand, and when Pansy took it they both felt a slight jolt as their magic jumped._ It had been so sudden, seemed so insignificant at the time. More like a shock than anything important.

"What the fuck does this mean?!"

"It means you can find her." Susan rushed over, taking Ron's place in front of me. She rested her hands on my shoulders, and took a deep breath, encouraging me to do so as well. Talking with a calm even tone she instructed me threw the process. "I need you to look deep within yourself. Feel for your magic. Reach out to it like your going to do wandless magic. Feel it beat within you, at pace with your heart, in tune with your soul. Do you feel it?"

I took another deep breath. I've been 'searching for my magic' since I was a toddler. My parents wanted me to be prepared and excel in classes, so this was no challenge. But it was odd. It felt different than before. Curiosity drove me to keep searching within myself. To follow this new trail.

Suddenly I was somewhere else. There was no tug, no pulling or dizziness. None of the usual signals to magical travel occurred, just a faint weightlessness and then, Bam! I was here.

~~Library~~

**Third Person POV**

One second Susan had a firm hold on Pansy, she spoke softly, and repetitively. Pansy stood stock still, with her eyes closed and her head perfectly straight. After a brief moment, her head cocked to the left. Suddenly she was gone. She'd turned to smoke almost. It was like smog came by and swept her away. She was here one second and gone the next.

"What the hell just happened?!" McGonagall raced forward to where the girl had just disappeared. She wove her hand threw the air, as if it was just an illusion. She didn't find anything, but that didn't stop her from continuing her search. Her arms slashed the air desperately. _It's not possible. Hogwarts cannot be traveled threw like that. It's not possible._

No one had any answers; they just stood staring at the place Pansy had disappeared from. In shock, in awe.

"How did she just leave!" McGonagall shouted turning to the Headmaster.

"For that matter," Harry stepped forward. "How was Hermione taken?"

"Magic Touching is an unexplored field. We have no idea what it is capable of. As for Miss. Grander, it had to be someone with permission to leave. They would use whatever portkey they'd been given to transport her out of here, then they could apparate her anywhere they like." Dumbledore theorized.

McGonagall had just turned pale, and was about to say something when Pansy called from three isles over. "Guys come here!"

Without missing a beat, everyone made his or her way quickly over. Well everyone aside from Albus. He strolled with ease, making up the back of the herd. He gave Minerva a lasting glance, he'd seen her about to answer, but snapped her mouth shut once the opportunity arouse.

Dumbledore turned the corner to see everyone making a semi-circle around Pansy; she was reading a passage from the book in her hands. _Hmm, that potion seems familiar_ he thought. _Chelidonium Miniscula._ _Yes that's it!_

"She said she left and when she came back the book was lying open on the floor." Pansy explained.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Aurar Bones snapped, imitating Snape perfectly.

"The plan." She answered.

"What plan! Where did you go?" Susan asked. She was usually calmer in these kinds of situations, but things were getting weird. A boy in a coma, so a girl can be kidnapped, and then another girl disappears, and is suddenly being cryptic! Seriously, these students have been spending too much time with Albus.

"I went to her mind." Pansy stated. _Oh perfect! _Susan thought. _Now students are apparating into each other's minds, what's next!_ "She said we have to let Draco be kidnapped too."

"What! We are not going to let a student be put in harms way." Professor Flitwick said firmly.

"Oh, your right. Better he stay locked in his head for all eternity." Pansy replied, her voice dripping in sarcasm and disdain. _We're the ones who've been up all day and night researching this, where the hell have you been._

Escaping anyone's notice, Harry backed out of the huddle, and pulled out his map. With a swift "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good " the map unfolded and ink grew across the page. He waited impatiently for the map to complete, so he could check on Malfoy.

Behind him Snape peeked over his shoulder. "You never are." He whispered, before clamping a hand over Harry mouth to keep him silent. After Harry wore over the initial shock, they both turned back to the map. "I knew it was more than just an insulting parchment." Snape commented thinking back to the year he'd caught Harry wandering the halls with it.

"How do you know the person wants to take Draco? I thought he was just a distraction." McGonagall asked.

"No Hermione said she heard her captor mumbling about just needing the boy now, then all the pieces will be in place." Pansy lifted her shoulders, the universal sign of not knowing. There was a lot of that going on today.

"Who! Who took her, who was she listening to?" McGonagall asked not able to take the suspense any more.

"She doesn't know where she is, or who the person is. But she said the person who took her is –"

The map had finally filled out. Before Snape and Harry's eyes Draco's dots disappeared from the sheet. Just beside his hospital bed stood none other than…

"Lavender." All three said in unison.

"Shit." McGonagall swore. Ignoring everyone incredulous stares she continued, "I was hoping it wasn't her. I got a call this morning, that her parents died last night. She asked if she could have two portkeys. One for her, and another for her friend Tracey." Running a hand threw her grey hair McGonagall sighed. "I really just hoped, that she'd lost one, and someone else was behind this. I can't believe she'd do this."

"Never mind what we thought she was capable of. Where is she?" Susan asked, trying to get control of things.

"The infirmary, she just used the second portkey. Draco's gone." Harry answered dutifully. He was hoping to become an aurar when the year was threw, so he wanted to make a good impression while he had the chance. Saviour of the world or not, he was also known as being an insubordinate trouble-maker.

"Good." Pansy said.

"Why good?" Susan stressed. "How is that good."

"Because it's all part of the plan." Pansy explained.

"Ha!" Ron scoffed. "Whenever we make a plan it doesn't matter, the second we show up everything turns to shit anyways." Turning back to Harry, Ron adds, "Remember the Ministry."

"The Ministry?" Snape asks. "That was you!" he shouts. _Why hadn't someone mentioned that earlier!_

"Yeah who else would it be?" Ron said on a laugh, not sure what the problem is.

Snape didn't respond, he simply starred vacantly ahead. Growing concerned, Harry stepped forward and waved his hand over Snape's eyes. "Why does it matter?"

"Because I know who it is." Snape answered still looking off vacantly in the distance.

* * *

**Ha! And you thought the last one was mean:) R&R**


	16. When Games Have Answers

**Authors notes**

**Yes I'm posting another one, because I'm awesome.**

**Not awesome enough to own HP, but well... Baby steps.**

* * *

When Games Have Answers

**Snape POV**

_I hate being here. I'd hoped that being given the Headmaster position I wouldn't be dragged down to this hellhole every other day. But no, here I am, walking these bleak halls wishing I could be somewhere else. _

_What was today anyway? I can't remember. The days have all merged together until they became one long never-ending existence. It's all become a matter of shuffling from one post to the next. I used to have time to turn this off. To stop being my alias, but now that I've "killed" Dumbledore there's no rest._

_A soft chuckle comes out at the memory of killing Dumbledore. Now _that_ had been difficult to pull off. Saying Avada Kedavra without actually doing the spell, and simultaneously using an altered pushing spell, so that the jet would be green. It had taken _months_ of preparation, and I'm just glade Dumbledore had taken my potion in time._

_It was a special concoction. It protects the body from any physical harm for two hours, while effectively stopping all vitals/organs from making someone appear alive. The timing had worked perfectly, actually a little too perfectly. When Potter had come running down the hill, half cocked I was sure he'd be out for blood. Luckily, he makes a terrible Slytherin, and I was able to deter him. _

_To my left, Voldemort is giving me a skewed look. _

"_I was just thinking about the night Dumbledore died." I covered quickly. It's true I suppose, but I'm smiling because this dumbass won't know what hit him, not because I enjoyed the act._

"_Ah, yes. Fond memoriesss." He hissed. "Do you know what to do?"_

"_I imagine you didn't call me out here for anything less than torture." I replied easily. One can't seem fazed by such matters in front of the Dark Lord; least they wish to be tortured as well._

"_Yessss. That thing in there, had the audacity to cry thief at the ministry raid last week. She said the women stole _her_ necklace, but it belongs to meeee. I need you to find out where she got it, and punish her accordingly for her crimesssss." He opened the doors we'd stopped in front of. I couldn't help the shocked smirk._

_I don't like to consider myself a sadistic man, but I won't lie. Seeing _that women_ chained to a wall was certainly a sight. She was sagged on the ground, pink tatters of clothing laying on her limply._

_I stepped into the room, a smile tugging at my lips. The door closed behind me heavily, and she looked up startled. I could tell she'd been here for days. She was covered in soot, hallowing out. Her eyes found mine and she lit up like a light. "Severus! Help me out of here."_

_Barely extending the effort to raise my hand I cast the Cruciatus Curse. She screamed and after a moment I stopped. "Where did you get the necklace?"_

"_It was-" _

_I cut her off. The wimpy bitch couldn't handle _one_ curse. No I wanted to get something out of this while I could. She'd been a fucking pain in my ass for too long to let this slide now. I don't like being manipulated; she was going to learn that._

_Threw her screams she shouted "I"LL ANSWER. I'LL ANSWER!"_

_Taking my sweet time before stopping the curse I stepped forward, leaning on my heels until I was at eye-level. "Yes?" I drawled._

"_I bought it off a thief." She answered quickly, not willing to risk another spell._

_Using the wandless black fire charm, I created a ball of fire in my palm. Her eyes widened and crossed as she looked at it in fear. _

_Good. You should fear me. I held the flame closer to her face and she jerked back yelling, "Mundungus! I bought it from Mundungus!" _

"_How do I know your telling the truth?" I asked playfully. Really, I don't normally enjoy this sort of thing, but watching _her_ squirm for a change was nice. _

"_I am, I am, I am." She chanted. She'd closed her eyes and was rocking back and forth. "I swear." She cried._

"_I believe you." I answered lazily, she wouldn't have the galls to lie. She looked up at me with wide hopeful eyes._

"_Will you let me go? Please Severus, we're fighting for the same cause." She tried to persuade. Hell I think she was trying to be seductive. A shudder ran up my spine at the thought and she grinned, thinking her methods were working._

_Standing slowly I glance at her right arm, chained to the wall. Tom did say to think of a punishment for her crimes. _

"_Sectumsempra." Her arm severed cleanly just below the elbow, effectively freeing her from her trap._

~~Library~~

The students starred at me with a mixture of awe and terror as I finished retelling my story. I'd forgotten about that night, but now it seemed clear as day. I even remember my parting line as I walked out the door to her sobs.

"Be careful what you wish for Dolorus."

* * *

**There you are! R&R!**


	17. When Games Cheat

**Authors notes**

**Hello! I'm sorry for the delay, and the fact that this chapters actually a shorty. I know I normally mention if I won't be posting, but I didn't realize I would be so busy. Ah life, you cruel bitch. I'm going to work on something for tomorrow, but I can't promise. **

**So anyway, I do not own Harry Potter, as I'm sure you've realized. But! I do own...oh yeah, nothing. Ah life, you cruel bitch.**

**On with the games**

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When Games Cheat

**Lavender POV**

I couldn't get past the whiteness of it all. White beds, white walls, white hands. White hands? Shouldn't they be red? That's what they say at least, hands stained red with your crimes.

But even as I'm holding this knife I can't move past how white they are.

It all started Thursday afternoon. Tracey Davis and I decided to check out this new café in Hogsmeade. We blew off Herbology; it's the last class of the day, why would we stay?

I'd just left to use the loo when I felt it. An airiness. A lightness. It was like swimming really, like diving into a deep sea. Twirling, swirling, in the currents until "up" and "down" are myths and all that's left is the simple rocking of back and forth. At least, that's what it's like at first. After a while the water becomes dense, like a jell was added. But you don't mind. It makes things cozier.

And all the while, there's this nagging sensation. _There's something about this is, think back, pay attention!_ But I don't. I let the water hold me loosely, and continue to flip and swim. Suddenly, I realize I'm moving. So like going up for air I start to swim for shore.

That's when things change, because it doesn't take long to realize you don't know where shore is. All the flipping and swirling, the twirling and rocking has left you backwards and sideways with no idea where the world really is. Suddenly the water isn't holding you it's chocking you. And with this reality I finally woke up, but not in the way I had hoped, I only wake enough to realize what I'm doing, not to change it.

When I "woke up" I was in the ally. The one just behind the café, and there was a noxious smell. I couldn't even fathom it, and I was _smelling_ it for Merlin's sake. I was only there for a moment. Just long enough to pick up a flask. That's when I heard her. Umbitch!

What the hell is she doing here?

I tried to look for her but I moved statically. Away from the café, and back towards the school, after a moment I realized what she was saying, and that she wasn't _here_ on this road, but _here_ in my head. For me alone

"You are going to give this potion to Draco Lucius Malfoy. You will wait for McGonagall to give you the portkeys. You will find Hermione Jean Granger, and when she is alone you will subdue her and place to portkey firmly in her hands. You will activate it, and find Draco. You will send him to me with the second…"

She spoke consistently with a monotone, the only variation coming from the cracking and crooning of her voice. It sounded like someone who's been sick for years, who's throat hadn't seen water in so long they wouldn't know what to do with it if it had it. It was an unnerving voice, and I barely recognized it as hers. But even threw the scratching, I could still catch that obscenely high and righteous bullshit shinning threw. I suppose some people don't change, but damn she's annoying enough that I wish she did.

I've been dealing with her in my head all day. With her instructing me on how to act, constantly repeating her mantra. Knocking off a task only when it's been completed. I'm on the last one now. It's been like an evil countdown. Hurt people you respect, hurt old friends. Watch them panic and when the times right, hurt them again.

I tried to stop myself. I'd managed to lock myself in a closet, but Parvati heard me/her screaming, and let me/her out. I tried to keep myself from putting the potion in, but it didn't work. My hand barely shook. Not like it did this morning, that's for sure. But I haven't been able to work up a repeat performance. That is until the library. I'd been able to knock the book over, i recognized the potion, my mum used to use it on my pops. Put it in his tea before he went to bed. I thought, if Hermione knew what she was dealing with, then things might work out. Or maybe, the others would come back and find it open, realize Draco's next and stop me.

But that didn't happen. And now it's my turn. I hurt good people, and now I have hurt myself.

"Plunge the knife…"

~~Hall outside Infirmary~~

**Daphne POV**

Something was bugging me. Every time I got close to it, an answer or explanation, it would wisp away again. Almost there, so close, and then what? Smoke. Gone, but not quite gone. To far gone to have it, but close enough to taste it. Taste it sitting on my tongue as it dances and pokes fun, always poking fun.

It's just there was something here. Something _wrong _with all this. Lavender has always been a pain in the ass, Little Miss Gossip, but she was never vindictive. She never had reason or longing to do this. Did she?

No it doesn't make sense, but that's not _it._ It's not the cause of the nagging. That's something else.

Something in her face, her expression? No that had seemed normal when we talked to her. Well except the smear of her eyeliner.

That had been shocking; in all our years here Lavender's make-up has never been anything less than absolute perfection. Always done up exactly as so, freshened and even. If make-up and hair were a religion, Lavender would be the high priestess.

The thought brought a smile to my face just as I turned the corner and stopped dead.

But I wasn't the only thing that was dead. There on the floor, lying in a pool of her own blood is Lavender. And Madame Pomfrey stands over her, looking like an avenging angle. Her expression set, her once white uniform smeared red, as she went to work on the dead girl.

There couldn't possibly be anything left could there? Those eyes seemed so hallow. The eyes I'd just laughed over not being perfect held nothing now. Nothing but a few drops of blood that had somehow splashed in there.

And all I could think about was the redness of it all.

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**Like I said just a short one, but next on the Games...Hermione vs. Umbitch!**

**But only if you REVIEW! I demand REVIEWS!**


	18. When Games Hurt

**Authors notes**

**"Hi everyone." She says with the greatest weight of guilt in her eyes. :)**

**Though I am loving the "WHY!? WHY did you stop, you cruel and horrible person!" I laughed for for a few minutes before I could actually start writing again:) Sooooo, I see some of us are starting to like Lavender? Hm, will she stay or will she go now? Read and find out I suppose!**

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When Games Hurt

**Hermione POV**

It had taken days to fully wake up. I had been lucid throughout it all but some of my senses were on the fritz, so to say. I could feel the whole time, but for a while that was it. I couldn't hear or smell or see a thing. And of course I still couldn't move, but I could feel shackles click around my wrists, and the rats –or what I assume must be rats- nibbling at my toes. That first night had been the worst. To be awake in you mind but to be so completely cut off from the world. I felt constantly tense, as though someone was watching me, and I wouldn't be ale to know until they were hurting me, brushing up against my increasingly sensitive skin.

It was terrifying.

Sometime during the first night, as nights were always the coldest, I realized I could feel the vibrations in the floor telling me when people were drawing close. People or person, I'm not really sure as of yet, but I'm not optimistic enough to think I'll only have one opponent to face.

And it didn't take long after that for my smell came back. Not gradually, no, but it came back the way great waves crash against a cliff side. One second there's nothing but the slime under my feet, and then suddenly there's aroma. Puke, mold, a 70 year aged corpse couldn't compare to the strength of that stench. Hell shoving my god dame nose into the ass of a skunk wouldn't compare. And as offal, as foul, as that smell is. As much as I want to lob off my nose in an attempt to never relive it again, I've come to welcome it. It's something _real_, something I can hold on to.

I truly think if it hadn't been there I might not have lasted (sanity wise), until my hearing came back. And of course I had Pansy, who'd drop by my subconscious, or is it my mind? Whatever, she came by, that's what matters. She'd come by to ask about things, to tell me about things, to see if I was okay.

The obvious answer is no. No, I am in no way _okay_. But my "visits" as of yet haven't been so bad. Then again after being at the mercy of Bellatrix Lestrange, and the events of that night, not much can compare.

Don't get me wrong, they/he/she… Pansy told me it was a she, Umbridge to be exact, but I couldn't seem to wrap my head around it. Never mind that, the point is _she_ was certainly trying. She'd come up regularly, like clockwork, and shove potions down my throat. Things to keep me immobile I wager. Every now and again I think I can feel muscle spasms, or my thumb twitch, and then she'd come by and everything would be still again. Sometimes she'd coat something else onto my skin, creams and such that created the sensation of it burning. It was during the times where I was silently screaming and stilly thrashing, that I recognized the power of screaming, of letting the pain out in someway.

It was just after one of those potions faded away that Pansy had "dropped by" to tell me about Hogwarts most recent destruction episode.

_Lavender POV_

_Ah, it felt nice to be _me_ again. It had taken a long time, and three more attempted suicides, but I was finally myself. After Pomfrey had waken me up the first time, I'd reached for her wand all the while thinking "She'll fight you off, the others will have to stop you, suicide by aurar." Luckily, Pomfrey was able to cast a sleeping spell before I/she could do any damage. _

_The next time I woke up there wasn't anything sharp, or formidable. I made a grab for potion vials in a nearby drawer, I had taken five random doses when Daphne ran in and stopped me. I quickly started spasming, and Pomfrey was rushed in to preform a stomach pump. It was a gruesome few hours, but eventually they realized I was under the Imperious Curse and were able to remove it. But the real kick to the face, is that it took _that long_ before anyone seemed to consider it. _

_My own "friends" didn't even see I was different, they never so much as questioned it. And in the end, a Slytherin I have never had a conversation with was able to figure it out, where the Gryffindor's I've lived with for the past eight years couldn't. _

_A small part of me wanted to be mad at Tracey for accusing me of leaving her in Hogsmeade, but from her side I did leave to use the loo, and then never come back. And she was the first person to visit me in the infirmary, when I was no longer a safety hazard of course. Surprisingly enough, Daphne and Terry popped over to visit frequently during my stay. Some of which was while I kept waking up and reaching for the nearest weapon, but most of which was when I was finally myself again._

_We'd gotten close in what has probably only been thirty-six hours, so it's no surprise that on my first trip from the hospitable I was with them, and had a front-stage view of the drama unfolding._

_It all started when Neville and Ginny walked into the Great Hall holding hands, and just about caressing one another as they walked. They couldn't seem to help themselves these days, and Ron was a ticking time bomb. He visibly flinched whenever they kissed, or pulled closer, or giggled at some inside joke._

_They had just shared the third kiss in two minutes when Ron exploded. Shooting out of his seat, he launched himself over the table to force the two apart. "GET OFF MY SISTER!" _

_Ginny stood from the floor ready to knock some sense into her brother, when Luna and Pansy grabbed her from behind, "They have to work this out, otherwise he'll just continue to stew until this all happens again." Luna reasoned, Pansy nodding her agreement._

_The boys seemed to roll all over the room and throwing a punch when the time seemed to suit them. It didn't last long though, Neville was able to get the advantage and he pinned Ron to the floor. _

"_You done!?" He shouted, fed up with all this angst. Ron and him had been good friends before this crap, and he realized that Ron was protective of his sister, but he knew him and should know that he wouldn't hurt her._

_Ron's head started shaking back and forth, and in a rare show of pent up anger his magic exploded out of him. None of us was sure if it had been because of Neville and Ginny, or if it had to do with Hermione's kidnapping too. And in that case maybe it went further back, the war, the death of his brother? Hell maybe part of it's from when I put the taste-buds curse on him, making everything he ate taste like cream-cheese. I had to resist the smirk at that memory._

_The smallest things had seemed like the end of the world back then. And I have to say, I miss the naivety. The innocence of thinking a botched relationship is the worst kind of pain. The joys one could find in some petty revenge. _

Just as the candles blew out from the mass wind-storm Ron had created_, I remember all the events that had come to pass since that year. I thought about the infinitely worse year to follow, the misery of pre-war, the ferocity of war, the devastation of post-war. And I thought about the news I'd been delivered this morning. _

_The reminder that wars don't end just because we call for it. _

As the candles fell from the ceiling, _I thought about the lives that are still falling. Aurar's who die scouting the last of the death eaters. The innocents murdered in last ditch attempts for revenge. Not petty revenge, but eye-for-an-eye, tooth-for-a-tooth revenge. _

And as the candles relight –as they are magically made to do- and the tables go up in flame with them,_ a few small tears escape my eyes, before I can clamp down on the memories of my parents, great people who had once lived so vivaciously, but are now dead._

~~Great Hall~~

**Third person POV**

"Fire!" A few Ravenclaws shouted as the prefects all jumped to escort the youngest years out of the Great Hall.

In a matter of seconds, the hall had gone from place of quiet eating, to a bar-brawling barbarians club, to absolute darkness, to a hall ablaze. Students were running every which way, scrambling over on another in some cases, trying to squeeze threw the door fastest.

It was a race of wills, a sizing of survival. And the biggest failures, or is it the strongest winners, were the eighth years. Who'd all seen and been threw worse. Who'd fought while superior fears clawed at their throats trying to choke them all to death.

They worked together, more naturally than a swarm of birds fly in sink, to put the fire out. A chorus of Aguamenti could be heard as a flood of water poured onto the dancing flames.

They made quick work of it all, and when they were done, they left to join their peers. Everyone left with a kind of cool-calm, as if nothing happened.

And because of this, no one noticed Ginny's fascination with fire. Her despair with its departure.

Because for the first time in a long time, she felt _warmed_. She's felt so cold. So impossibly frozen. As if she were the one who died, not Fred.

Fred, who'd died in her arms that night. Who'd slowly lost all his body heat, and then continue to take hers. He, who'd lain impossibly frozen. She, who'd felt her heat, her _warmth_, drain into him as if he were the sea. As if he could absorb her heat, and then just stay alive.

She's been doing whatever she can, to just feel alive, a little heat. And know she's found it. Somehow the fire heated her skin, brought he back to life. Stopped her wanderings as a zombie. But as the fire regressed under the pouring waters, the heat was lost too. It sat on he skin as a tan, but it was quick to fade away again.

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**I know, I know. I suck! But I had to add the third incident in the great hall before this all finishes up, and so I decided to sneak it in before this last chapter coming up. GASP - last chapter? Yes, that's right last chapter coming up soon! And then an ****epilogue. But thats been written since the fourth chapter, so I'll post them together.**

**So anyway; READ AND REVIEW. Oh you got read done? Then REVIEW!**


	19. When Games Are Risky

**Authors notes**

**So I'm sure you've been just as excited about this as I have been so I'm not going to read over it again for an edit. If this chapter is littered with mistakes let me know, and I'll read it threw. I must give credit to J.K. Rowling for being so fucking awesome to have created this amazing world for us all to play in!**

**Without further ado, enjoy the Chapter!**

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**Umbridge POV**

Oh this was good. This! _This_ was good_._ So good.

A deep chuckle reverberated in my throat. I always thought an evil laugh was so tacky. So unladylike. I've always made sure to giggle cutely, ever since I was a child. My mother had taught me to be poise. To wear pink and be a good young girl. When I was very little she would enter me in Little Miss competitions. I remember flouncing around on the stage feeling beautiful. Like a queen.

And then the ceremonies would end, and I had to go home the loser. Always the loser. Pretty girls like this one always beat me. Me!

_Me, who had trained all _year. I spat on the lip lying girl in front of me.

_Me, who spent all my allowance on pretty dresses._ I kicked a pug foot into her stomach. She groaned, and I found I liked hearing that. I'd put so much effort into the damn silencing/motionless potion when I heard about the mudblood's stunt with the Cho girl. I had been so looking forward to her screams.

Her whimpers and whines.

But the bitch just had to _strong_. So magically fucking gifted. Just like Prissy Missy. She was always on top. The judge's favorite.

My eyes clouded over with a film of rage, as I kicked the girl in front of me again. I kicked her for the looks of pity my mother always had. I kicked her for the hours wasted on juggling batons. I kicked her for laughs other girls used to share. I kicked her for the vicious prank my schoolmates' cast - the mirrors would break whenever I looked into them.

I kicked her until I heard ribs crack. And I kicked until I heard a crack for every broken fragment in every mirror. I kicked until I couldn't feel my own leg. Until my back was dripping with sweat, and the dirt that had seemed like a permanent fixture to my face, was dripping away as well.

Then finally she rolled over, and I kicked her some more. There was a great crunch and she let out a terrible scream. Good. This is good.

"Oh! Did I wake you?" I asked as though I was concerned. A smile spread across my features, but not the one I used to smile. The sweet one I had practiced in the mirrors, cracked or not. This smile was different, vicious. Certainly not a poker face, no no no. Anyone who saw this would know I held all the cards. I had all the power.

The girls back curled up. Her eyes seemed to roll into the back of her head, as her hand pressed firmly into her abdomen. "I said!" I raised a foot well above her, "Did I wake you?" I shouted as my foot hammered down. I was rewarded with both the sound of another crack, this time her hand, and the terrible release of a scream. "Good." I smiled again.

I've missed this power. It was always mine to hold, but people were always so reluctant to hand it over. And this one? Well she always seemed to be there to take it right away, whenever I managed to get it that is.

Her little stunt at Hogwarts was one thing. She was a naïve schoolgirl, she didn't realize who she was messing with. She was too stupid to bother with, the little bint. Looking down I can see the same fear I'd seen that day. As she lead me threw the forest. Leading me to the weapon.

Oh, how I remember the excitement! I had thought _this is it! The dark lord will take me into the fold, and I'll be a queen once and for all!_ But the bitch had been tricking me all along!

A gamble!

And then those disgusting half-breeds showed up. Ugh, the audacity.

And it was all her fault. _Hers._

I had been the bigger person though hadn't I; I had let her live unscathed. And how does she repay me? She steals from me! That's how. Reached her filthy mudblood hand up, and ripped my necklace from me. So like a lower being, always stealing from their superiors.

I remember the maid my mother used to employ. She refused to hire houselves, the creatures were illiterate. They were sniveling little beings. Not worthy of cleaning her home.

Ah mum, she was a treat. I do regret having to kill her. She was sweet enough, but she was trying to hold me back. Always talking about being a _good_ person, about having realistic goals and doing what is right.

I had been good! I let this bitch free the first time, didn't I! I had been _merciful_.

Whole lot of good _that_ did. Because of _her_ the dark lord was mad at me. Because of her actions, I was tortured for days. Locked up and brought near death until Severus showed up to "finish the job".

Because of _her_ I lost my dominant arm. My casting hand! My magic has suffered since, been grievously lost.

And it was all her fault. She would feel my pain.

~~Hours later~~

These sessions weren't going as I had hoped. Sure she was suffering, screaming, withering, and all the good stuff. But there was something missing in it. I'd tried everything I could think of, but there wasn't the satisfaction in this that there usually was.

How was this bitch ruining my torture of her!

Ugh, this is too frustrating to endure. But then a thought came to mind, "You know, I do think it has been long enough." I said letting a smile twist my features again.

The girl looked up at me with bruised eyes, almost glued shut. She was shaking ever so slightly, it was a nice sight.

She'd started crying hours ago, and when she got a full look of me now, her lips trembled in agony. And they call her strong? The said she was so resilient under the wand of Bellatrix Lestrange, but here she was blubbering.

I must be good.

"You know the funny thing about pruebloods?" I said, unable to keep the smile off my face. "With all the inbreeding everyone's connected one way or another. And recently I got a visit from an aunt of mine." I looked into the filth's eyes, as a few more delicate tears leaked threw. "Several times removed of course, honestly I never met her before that day, but she's family."

I let a laugh fall out. I had long ago turned my back to my family, and they had gladly turned their backs on me. They all knew what I did, but it would disgrace the name too much to turn me in, so they just turned away instead. Gotta love all that family honor crap.

I continued with my story, "I was just as surprised as the next fellow when Dao-ming Chang showed up on my doorstep asking me to get revenge for her daughter. She spun a wild tail about one of the golden trio. How she had been so enraged that she threw her daughter through a brick wall, and wasn't even punished." I couldn't help but laugh at the irony. Before the war, the Gryffindor's always blamed Snape for being lenient with the Slytherins, and now here they are getting away with assault.

_Just this last potion, then everything will be set!_

_Beep! Beep! Beep! The alarm sounded and I dropped the jasmine root into the cauldron three stirs too soon. The concoction trembled, as though bubbling even though no air was released. I turned and ducked just in time for when the potion exploded around the room. The framework for the old house reverberated with the shock. And suddenly it let out a great noise, as if sighing in relief that it hadn't tumbled down. _

_Grumbling to myself I sneak up the stairs to see who's trespassing. This is my family home! Just because no ones lived here in years doesn't mean it's not privet property. I'm just the old security system is still working, if the person were mudblood or if they meant me harm, than they would have been struck by lightning. It's a nifty old spell. _

_Peeking through a set of faded purple, heavily torn curtains, I see some old lady walking across my lawn. She kept her arms firmly pressed into her sides, and her face appeared permanently screwed in a disgusted grimace. She was wearing a ridiculous pair of pointed toe heels, and a prim light blue suit. Her Pencil skirt went down to her knees, with just a small slit on the side (no bigger than an inch of course, she wouldn't want to look like a whore). She had a matching jacket that she wore over a simple white blouse._

_I can respect her fashion abilities, but I couldn't help but feel a sense of forbidding. This was some bitch from my father's side wasn't it? They all looked the same to me. My father, god bless, had been the only logical one in this house. And then he went and got himself blown up. It's a shame, he was fine company._

_When the lady finally got to the front door she reached into her handbag. She pulled out a handkerchief and wrapped her hand in it, as if it were a precious gift. When she brought her hand down to knock the door it burst from the hinges that once held it. She let out a shrill shriek, jumping back with wide frightened eyes._

_I'm sure she missed it at first, but when the blood stopped pounding in her ears, she surly noticed the vindictive laugh escaping my throat. It felt nice, oddly soothing and extremely satisfying._

_Her face returned to the permanently screwed up look of disdain. Clearly she wasn't impressed, but at this point my idea of humor is particularly crueler than it once had been. Ah well, it's time to make pleasantries._

"The whole affair was actually quite exhausting. And I'm sure she exaggerated your abilities to drive home the point. But nonetheless I was concerned. I remembered reading of a potion that could leave someone immobile for hours at a time, and made a mental note to stock up."

_Maintaining a poker face I struggled to remember the name of that stupid thing. Ah yes, Gelious Stilling. That should do the trick. _

_Coming back to the present I notice Dao-ming Chang was still speaking. Man this bint could talk, "Stop. What do you want from _me_?" I couldn't help but emphasis the last part. I was enjoying this too much._

"_I want you to help me get revenge." She said unfazed. That's the thing with us Umbridge's, we're cold and unfeeling. And even if this one doesn't use the name, she is still an Umbridge. You can see it in the way she holds herself._

"_Oh I don't know about that." I shook my head for effect. "Apparently such devious behaviors are unsavory." I said giving her a look. Those were the words they'd used when I had killed my mother when I was sixteen. That had been the beginning of this lasting exile. First it had been my family, then society, and then the ministry. And now that family has come crawling back, the others will be soon to follow._

"_That was different. Clarisse hadn't done anything." She said tightly. After she said it a flash of regret shinned in her eyes, she knew she needed me. She wasn't willing to get her hands dirty, and no one else would take the risk._

_She needed _me_._

"_Clarisse got in my way." I said strongly. I could see her fighting not to say anything. She had made that mistake once already; she wasn't going to take the chance._

_Then again, like any Umbridge, she couldn't help herself. "Well, at least some of us have the good sense not to kill anyone who gets in our way." She patronized._

"_Oh really?" I raised a questioning brow. She at least had the good grace to duck her head. "And who's in your way."_

"_Aside from any and every mudblood, half-breed, or blood traitor…" she answered as if I were ludicrous to ask. "And of course, the Malfoy's."_

"The Malfoy's? I'd asked her. She told me all about you and Draco becoming the 'It' couple, and I have to say I still can't believe it. She told me all about you to. I'm not sure what is true and what is an exaggeration, but from the looks you're giving me." I maintained eye contact as I sunk to the ground. "I'd say you really do love the fool." She heaved, as though trying to keep her sobs from shaking her body, but failing.

"That when I got this plan. You see it's not enough for you to hurt physically, I want you to _break_. And who better to do that than the person you love." Deep laughs ripped threw my esophagus when I saw a few more tears leak out of her eyes. "Oh don't worry darling, he was going to break your heart weather I involved myself or not, all I'm doing is speeding up the process.

"I won't touch Draco, not until I make him kill you. _Slowly_. _Intimately._ In every way he knows you fear most. And then I'll break the spell just long enough for him to see what he's done, and when he screams I'll split his skull."

"You'll never be able to do that. He's stronger than any spell _you_ can cast." She spit. I swung my leg up, catching her chin and knocking her head up as I kick.

"And whose fault is that!" I seethed. "No, I used a potion. An old one, perfect for this situation. And I think it's just about time." I grabbed the antidote that had been hanging around my neck. "It's a little thing called _Chelidonium Miniscula." _

I watched excitedly as her eyes grew wide. Good she's heard of it, I didn't want to have to explain. "Now if you'll excuse me I have a guest I simple _must_ attend to." I laughed again as I danced from the room adding the final ingredient to the potion, a drop of my own blood.

~~Third Person POV~~

When Dolores returned she was grinning ear to ear, and Hermione was crumpled on the ground. Heaving as she cried. "You're a monster."

Dolores laughed some more before saying simply, "Oh he'll be along shortly. The antidote takes a few minutes to settle in."

Suddenly Hermione stopped completely. She was absolutely still for the first time in hours. At first Dolores thought she had fainted, and was put out at thinking she'd have to wait for her to wake again.

But suddenly there was a deeper laugh than Dolores had ever thought possible, and Hermione's head flipped up. Her hair shot over her head in a cascade of curls. And despite the bruises and scratched all over her face, she seemed more heavenly than any living creature on this planet.

In that moment she smiled wide, ripping the split in her lips but not caring one bit. "And here I thought this would be hard." She said laughing. "But no, you're just a stupid old lady, aren't you?" She condescended. "You couldn't even read to the end of the page could you? Otherwise you would have noticed the warning label. _This potion, although easier to make than most, is not recommended because it is easily shaken off if the intended has a strong mindset._"

Hermione bit her bottom lip in an attempt to hold back her laughs. "I understand you may not know Draco very well, but believe me: he is far more stubborn than I." with that Hermione let her head fall back as she laughed.

Enraged, Dolores stepped forward to kick Hermione again, but as her foot sped towards her abdomen, Hermione caught it. She held it in both hands, even though one of them was broken. Sharply twisting Umbridge's foot she brock her ankle swiftly.

Dolores feel to the ground with a scream, and Hermione stood up, stretched her muscles and took a good look at her surroundings. They appeared to be in some sort of living room. There wasn't much furniture left over, just a pink one in the corner with a sheet on the ground next to it. Everything was caked in a fine layer of dust. The walls appeared to be shedding their drywall, like snakes shedding their skins.

Reaching her hand into her mass destruction she calls hair she pulled out a bobby pin, and proceeded to pick the locks on the shackles around he wrist. "What kind of family has shackles built into the floor of their house?" Hermione asked exasperated with the situation.

Not getting that it was a rhetorical question, Umbridge answered, "My father needed them for his…hobbies."

"Figures."

For the briefest of moment's time slowed; Hermione saw a glint pass through Dolores's eyes, before she masked it. Hermione's hands reached out, palms towards the ground, as her fingers spread wide. Dolores's body turned slightly, as if preparing to lunge. Hermione used her magic to reach out to the earth, until she found what she was looking for. Dolores shifted her weight back, and hermione grabbed hold of her new weapon.

And suddenly the world spun in full motion. She leaped, with her talon hands outstretched, and Hermione called the roots of a nearby great oak to come crashing threw the floorboards to claim her. They wrapped around her, and dragged her back to where she'd been lying on the floor. She struggled for a while. But as 'Mione's fists clench the roots draw closer around her.

Hermione leveled her with a glare and after a few minutes she stopped struggling. "What now?" Her jaw locked as she asked, but she refused to shake. Dolores has always been a woman of pride; even in her dirty animal-like state she had standards. But Hermione never answered, she just continued to stare ahead dispassionately, waiting.

She didn't realize the sight she made. Her hair was flat on the right half of her head, and it exploded out of the left side. Her eyes were swollen shut and rimmed with large black and purple circles. Her mouth had a large crack on the right side of her upper lip, and she had a large purple bruise acting as a bracelet where the chains had once been. She barley able to stand, and as a result she was forced to hunch forward, and lean heavily against the wall beside her. Her cloths appeared as though they were four sizes too big, but despite this all she had this I-eat-assholes-like-you-for-diner-so-don't-piss-me-off look.

Luckily for her, Hermione had done research on her and Pansy's connection before she'd been kidnapped. The connection of their magic meant that if they both concentrated on each other, and Madame Pomfrey healed pansy, then the spells could be transferred onto Hermione, even from such a great distance.

As planned Hermione reached out to Pansy and "Knocked on her door" as they called it. Pansy answered immediately, and after just the briefest of pauses Hermione felt the cool comfort of a healing spell taking away all her pain.

Before Umbridge's eyes the girl magically healed. The shoulder that had popped, slammed back into place and the girl simply swore. Her eyes had closed and her head tilted to the side. Suddenly, her lower stomach reflated with a few more audible pops. Feeling particularly terrified, Umbridge reached desperately for a broken piece of floorboard. Hermione moaned just as Dolores grabbed hold of a good scrap.

Snapping her eyes open, all Hermione saw was Umbridge struggling in her confines. Or at least that what Dolores thought. Hermione had hoped the bitch would take the chance. Just then Hermione felt the signal that the second stage was in motion.

"Hermione!" Draco shouted from the dinning room. He'd woken up with a pounding headache on an old rotting table. He was amazed the thing hadn't broken, but was grateful it hadn't, certainly wouldn't have helped with his head.

"Over here." She called.

When Draco shuffled into the room he was greeted with the second strangest sight of his life. Hermione was standing with one arm steadying her against a wall, and the other raised towards a nest of tree roots that were currently suffocating their ex-DADA teacher.

"How you feeling?" She asked conversationally, like this was the norm. Hell for her, this probably was.

"Oh I'm pretty good, just got a pounding head ach from having to spend the past _few days_ listening to some bint screaming at me." He said as he walked through the room. Just as he got in front of the nest he turned to look at Dolores, "I suppose I have you to thank for that?"

"Ha!" Hermione laughed. "You yelled?" She asked when she turned towards Umbridge. "You-" "You-" she broke off laughing. From outsider's perspectives it looked like she was hysterical, but for Hermione it really was _just too funny._

Draco walked over to her, concerned for her sanity, and ended up having to hold her up. During Hermione's laugh attack she let the roots loosen slightly. Umbridge took full advantage, and wiggled free enough to start sawing at the roots.

When Hermione had finally sobered up she continued with her lecture, "You're supposed to speak calmly and quietly, so that the thoughts seem more natural and soothing. It was all there in the instructions."

"Are you seriously giving her advice on how to better control my mind?" Draco asked on a laugh.

Matching his teasing Hermione leaned into Draco until her lips were brushing his, "Of course not, your far too stubborn for such a potion to work."

"Damn straight." He smirked and captured her lips briefly. The distraction was enough for Dolores. She broke free of her confines and charged at the couple.

Of course, she didn't know that Hermione had been hoping for exactly that to happen. Hermione gabbed hold of a supporting beam from the wall and whipped it out crashing it into Dolores's skull, just as a team of Aurar's barged into the living room. It was too late, the blow had fractured the skull and Dolores Umbridge was dead.

Just as Hermione and Pansy had hoped, the Aurar's called it an act of defense, and no charges would be pressed.

The couple returned to Hogwarts a little rundown, but all together healthy. They were released from the infirmary after a short check up. They had drinks with their friends, all-talking about wildly unimportant things.

And that night, the couple became the beast with two backs.

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****I must also give credit to The Avengers who I stole a speech from (The one Loki says to Black Widow), and the last line is from Shakespeare's Othello. And if you don't know what it means...The have sex.**

**So anyway! Hope you've enjoyed! **


	20. Because Games Never Truly End

**Authors notes**

**Can I just say?... I'm FUCKING DONE!**

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Epilogue

That year had the fewest number of graduates attended their graduation in the history of Hogwarts. Everyone had decided to attend Terry and Daphne's wedding instead, and it was well worth the sacrifice. It was a beautiful June wedding, and just about everyone in attendance cried. Terry and Daphne left promptly for their honeymoon, and if everyone was being honest it never ended. They were newlyweds right up to the day Terry fell ill.

They had been married just over thirteen months when the cancer caught up to him. He was hospitalized and just two short months later his heart gave out. There was nothing they could do, and Daphne was a widower. She grieved, and the memorial service was beautiful. After a few years she went on her first date. It ended with her throwing a drink in his face, but it was progress. She never did remarry, but Lavender and Tracey sort of adopted her into their family.

It had taken a great many years for Lavender to realize that it wasn't a matter of finding the right guy, but realizing guys weren't what made her tick. Of course, that may never have happened if it weren't for the _very_ long kiss she and Tracey shared at New Years. It wasn't long after that before the two were married. They had considered adopting through the Rescued Wizards Programme. A team of Seer's were gathered to look for muggle-born wizards in superstitious countries. For generations, children had been killed for their magic, and with this new programme many young lives were saved. The programme didn't often have many children but there were hordes of people needing to adopt (The war had taken a toll on many peoples reproductive abilities). And in the end Lavender and Tracey decided they were happier without children. They were perpetual travellers, and knew that wasn't a life for kids.

Ginny's obsession with fire quickly got out of control. She ended up setting a few forest fires in the muggle world, and was forced to go to therapy. She had been told to take a serious look at her relationships, and decide why she was in them. She had gone to Hogwarts to talk to Neville (whom she slept with on occasion still), and break things off with him once and for all. The breakup was clean; neither had much invested in it. Unfortunately, while taking a walk around the castle she walked past the Room of Requirement think about fire – as she always was. The doors to The Room Where Thing Are Hidden appeared and Ginny didn't hesitate. She opened the doors and saw the fire from the Battle was still raging on. She stepped into the flames and, as if they had been long waiting for her, the flames surrounded her and swallowed her whole. And when its feast was done the flames licked the walls one last time before disappearing, leaving nothing in it's trace.

A teacher happened by the room, doors ajar, and had quickly realized what it meant. After a short search McGonagall confirmed that no students had died in the fire, but Ginny had lost her life.

After the memorial service many of the young adults when to a bar together. Neville and Luna got drunk and ended up sleeping together, only to not disappear from each other's lives once again. Six months later they ran into one another; Luna's stomach protruding as evidence of that night. Neville convinced her to get married, and they had a shotgun wedding in Nevada. Both fell easily into old patterns, but their relationship was different now. They weren't teenagers lost in steamy make-out sessions. They were parents that fell in love with each other stronger than they had believed possible.

When their daughter turned ten Luna finally agreed that she wasn't following her mother's footsteps, and started wearing pearl earrings.

The Weasley family was suffering under the loss of a second child. Charlie never returned, and Fleur was convinced they would never be safe. Eventually Bill and her sat down and talked everything out. He was able to convince her things were different, but bad things would always happen. Seeing their progress, George finally spoke again. Taking the turn of events as a good omen, Ron and Pansy announced they were pregnant. When a pair of twins came into the world on New Years, the family vowed that they would make sure the children got to grow up in a happy home.

Blaise and Harry never fought. Except for their big one. It had been about ten years after graduation, and Harry had fallen off the wagon. He struggled to get back on the horse, but eventually he was fired. Unfortunately, it didn't help him and he only ended up wallowing all the more. Blaise was furious, Harry was setting a bad example for the kids (adopted muggle-born children from countries that would burn them for their magic). When Blaise left it was the slap in the face Harry needed. He got a job at Hogwarts as a teacher, sobered up, and got his life back in order.

Around the same time as Harry and Blaise getting back together, Hermione and Draco went to see a fertility doctor. They were told that due to the damage in Hermione's stomach, it would be impossible for her to conceive a child. Five years later Hermione proved that she doesn't lose on about six different pregnancy test sticks. When Draco found out he was over the moon and used several sticking charms on her to keep her in bed. He spent her entire pregnancy waiting at her hand and foot, and cried beautiful tears of joy, when she gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

They are now eighty years old, and he still caters to her every need.

~~~The End~~~

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**And these my friends are the games of life! Hope you've Enjoyed!**


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